PITTSBURGH \u2014 As thousands of people gathered to celebrate the start of the holiday season in Pittsburgh, chaos broke out. <\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 3 people arrested, fights dispersed in Downtown Pittsburgh during Light Up Night<\/a> <\/p>\n Police were forced to break up fights during Light Up Night, and now parents are telling Channel 11 teens were attacked and ended up in the hospital. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re always going to find a few who are going to disrupt people\u2019s happiness,\u201d Denise McWilliams told Channel 11. <\/p>\n McWilliams stayed clear of Light Up Night this year, but she heard about the chaos that happened Downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping with all of the police and everything, Downtown and on horses, I was hoping everybody would be civil and have a nice time, but that\u2019s not the case,\u201d McWilliams said. <\/p>\n Cell phone video has been circulating on social media, showing dozens of officers on Liberty Avenue and teenagers running in the opposite direction. <\/p>\n According to Pittsburgh police, officers issued 18 citations, detained several people, and arrested three others. <\/p>\n One man was arrested for punching a police officer, and a detective wrote in the arrest paperwork: \u201cthere were hundreds, if not thousands, of chaotic civilians, and many threatened police and incited large fights.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey just need to quit it because when you get in trouble and you end up in jail or at a detention center, you\u2019re going to be sitting there thinking, \u2018why did I do that?\u2019\u201d McWilliams said. <\/p>\n Channel 11 talked to two mothers over the phone today, and each said their teenage daughters were taken to the hospital for concussions. <\/p>\n In one of the cases, police confirmed one of the victims reported being hit in the face with a sock that was loaded with a hard object. Four other teenagers were cited in that case. <\/p>\n Sources tell us that many of the people who were detained and cited were underage. <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n