PITTSBURGH — Local and state leaders are calling on District Attorney Stephen Zappala to close a South Side bar after an officer broke his ankle trying to break up a fight.
The fight happened over the weekend. Police say it started inside Oddballs and spilled out into the street.
After a violent fight on Pittsburgh’s South Side left a police officer hurt, some local and state leaders are calling for the bar where it started to be shut down.
Police said a scuffle caught on camera inside Oddballs spilled into the street early Saturday morning.
Sgt. Andrew Robinson, who heads the South Side Entertainment Patrol, stepped in to break it up but ended up breaking his ankle.
Now, he’s off the job recovering.
“Sgt. Robinson is not just any officer. He really is the embodiment of a community-minded officer,” said City Councilperson Bob Charland. “He knows all the business owners here. He knows all the residents.”
The South Side is the heart of Councilperson Charland’s district. He said Oddballs is a hotbed for problems that start inside and spill outside.
“We’ve had complaints for almost its entire existence,” he said.
Charland, along with Rep. Jessica Benham, Rep. Aerion Abney and Sen. Jay Costa, are now calling on Zappala to shut the bar down.
“The city does not have the authority to close an establishment,” Charland’ said. “It’s not one of the powers we have unless the building is physically unsafe. We can’t shut down a business. That power is the power of the D.A.”
Matt Miklos, one of the owners from Oddballs told Channel 11′s Antoinette DelBel the family-run business is being unfairly targeted and added that security guards quickly remove unruly people. He said putting him out of business won’t solve the problem.
In a statement, Miklos said:
“Oddballs is run by a family from the South Hills.
“Since I opened Oddballs in 2020, I have been HATED by almost every bar owner, councilman, the magistrate, the city police, the state police, vengeful former employees, the Liquor Control Board, the Health department and angry patrons that I had to throw out.
“Then, in March of 2024, like other business owners in the south side, we met Sergeant Andrew Robinson, and we quickly developed a relationship with him. at his request, we turned the music down. The community group that my manager is part of in the South side and Sergeant Robinson made the recommendation that I provide a detail police officer at the front door on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. We implemented that very quickly after a meeting with the city and LCB and have had officers from the County at the door since.
“Sgt. Robinson was the only police officer from the city to ever actually work with me in a respectful way. Now, I like to believe I get along with any of them patrolling the South Side.
“We have spoken on the phone since the incident, and I was able to wish Sergeant Robinson a very fast recovery from his injuries. I do not understand how a bar of a maximum of 115 people is the primary reason for the crime in the South Side.
“Over the past four and a half years, I have spent over half a million dollars on security for one of the smallest bars on Carson Street. I utilize a scanner for ID and banning patrons. I have 4-5 security guards, including a female, to pat people down and to remove patrons who are disruptive. As I said, I employ a police officer at my door on the weekends.
“We do not allow weapons, fake IDs or drugs in the bar. When there are unruly and disrespectful customers, we remove them as promptly as possible and most of the time without incident.
“I have done everything recently that has been asked of me and have cooperated fully. I feel that this level of angst from these government agencies is more extreme than warranted. The problem isn’t being solved by shutting me down. It’s more than liquor as well. It is a terrible thing that happened to Robinson, and I absolutely can’t wait for his return to duty.
“Closing Oddballs won’t solve the issue.”
Kaylen Trull lives and works on the South Side and is familiar with Oddballs.
“Out of the local bars around, they are one of most problematic,” said Trull.
Trull said she recently stopped going to Oddballs because of overcrowding and overdrinking.
She said, however, the problems can’t be blamed on just one bar.
“All these bars that are around here, it drags so much issues and problems here because you have so many drunk college kids, so many drunk people all on this one small, crowded street,” Trull said.
Councilperson Charland said he spoke with the DA’s office and was told they had a meeting about Oddballs on Monday.
In a press release sent on Tuesday afternoon, Zappala said the incident is under investigation by the Nuisance Bar Task Force and that detectives met with the owners of Oddballs and the Liquor Control Enforcement on Monday. That investigation will determine if any administrative measures are needed in regards to the bar’s license to operate.
Zappala says he intends to meet with Southside merchants to discuss issues as soon as this week.
“The discussion of taking away a business’s ability to operate is a very serious subject,” Zappala said. “We will be prepared to have that conversation if needed. Right now, we are gathering the necessary information and wishing Sgt. Robinson a quick recovery.”
Meantime, the Southside Barber Shop, located at 1509 E. Carson St., is donating every cent it makes from haircuts on Friday, Sept. 13, to Sgt. Robinson for his recovery.
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