Two gas station owners and an employee face assault charges after video allegedly showed them beating two Black women Friday at a Pittsburgh gas station.
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Monday announced simple assault charges against gas station owners Sukhjinder Sadhra, 35, and Balkar Singh, 40, and gas station employee Scott Hill, 50.
Sadhra and Hill were also charged with an added count of simple assault, according to criminal dockets the district attorney’s office emailed Atlanta Black Star Wednesday.
Mike Manko, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr., said in the email Pittsburgh police initially submitted potential charges in the incident Saturday.
“That submission was remanded back to the police by our office for additional information, including more video footage, and clarification,” Manko said. “A meeting was held earlier today at our office at which point video from inside the gas station was viewed.
“Under no circumstances is it acceptable for anyone, regardless of gender or race, to be assaulted in the way that is depicted in the video and such behavior will not be tolerated in Allegheny County.”
Video showed three men holding sisters identified in media reports as Jamila and Ashia Regan on the ground and punching them repeatedly.
One of the men in the video was also seen grabbing one of the women by her hair and dragging her across the ground.
The incident, stemming from a dispute over a refund for spilled gasoline, ignited multiple days of protest at the gas station and a statement on Tuesday from Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Twitter.
“Viewing the video of two black women from our community being assaulted made me sick,” he said. “We cannot be a civilized society and tolerate any violence against women.
“We must come together as one unified community and end all violence against women. All of us.”
Black Political Empowerment Project CEO Tim Stevens said in a letter to the mayor that the charges being limited to misdemeanors are “a slap in the face to black women,” according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
He later spoke during a protest at the gas station.
“First of all, I’m stating this is one of the most outrageous incidents I’ve ever seen on video,” he said. “It’s an outrage.”
