Woman accused of starting riot during South Side arrest speaks out

UPDATE 11 p.m.

Only Channel 11 spoke with one of three women who police say interfered and stirred up the crowd when officers tried to arrest a man on the South Side over the weekend.

Teja Massie was recording the incident on her cellphone. She says she wasn't yelling and did what police asked her.

The video is dark, but you can hear the chaos on the South Side early Sunday morning.

"No riot whatsoever, as you can see clearly in the video," Massie said.

The video shows Massie's friend, Jemere Pearson, being taken into custody.

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Police said Pearson was smoking pot on the sidewalk.

When they tried to arrest him, police said, he hit an officer and took off.

They say a good Samaritan tripped him, so police could take him into custody.

Police say the women were in the road, blocking traffic, but Massie's video shows a car driving by.

"That's me saying, 'Chill out.' You see me in the video backing up," Massie said. Less than a minute later, you see an officer come back over to her.

Massie said she wasn't putting up a fight but was still put in handcuffs and taken to jail. She says she plans to fight the charges.

"I complied. I listened. I backed up. I wasn't starting no riot or whatever they want to call it," Massie said. "I was being compliant. I don't understand."

Police had not seen the video until Channel 11 showed it to them.

After reviewing it, a spokesperson said they would not be making a comment.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Police chasing a man in South Side early Sunday morning got a hand – or, more accurately, a foot – from a good Samaritan, which led to several arrests.

Officers saw a group of people smoking marijuana on the corner of 16th Street and East Carson Avenue, according to a criminal complaint, when a man dropped a joint and began walking away from officers.

An officer caught up to the man, identified as Jemere Pearson, and brought him back to the corner, according to the complaint. Two women who were with Pearson began yelling at officers, claiming the joint wasn’t Pearson’s.

When the officers conducted a background check on Pearson, they discovered he had outstanding warrants, according to the complaint. When officers began to handcuff Pearson, he elbowed one of them and fled.

One of the officers held on to Pearson and the two struggled down the sidewalk about 30 to 40 feet, according to the complaint. Several officers pursued the pair, with two of them firing their Tasers but missing.

At the corner of 18th Street and East Carson, a woman saw the pursuit and stuck out her foot to trip Pearson, according to the complaint. She is not identified in the report.

After he fell, it took four officers and multiple uses of stun guns to get Pearson under arrest.

The women who had accompanied Pearson followed the pursuit and arrived at the arrest scene, according to the complaint. They began screaming at officers and a crowd gathered. Officers ordered the women to be quiet and the crowd to disperse but were ignored.

The women began blocking traffic and the officers announced they were under arrest, according to the complaint. Geraye Pittrell, Teja Massie and Corasia Jordan-Monk were taken to Allegheny County Jail, charged with riot, resisting arrest and related charges.

Cox Media Group