Cops trap, gas college students in stairwell

Editor's note: Video contains one incident of obscenity

Several college students claim they were trapped and attacked with tear gas on the University of Pittsburgh's campus while they observed the G-20 summit protests in Pittsburgh.

Anarchists were behind some of the clashes with police during the protests, but many students say they were involuntarily caught up in the melee and arrested or tear gassed as police blocked outlets.

In the following video posted on YouTube on Sept. 25, riot police allegedly trapped a group of students on a staircase and launched tear gas at them while they coughed, screamed and desperately tried to escape:

Warning: Video contains one incident of obscenity

The students stood observing the street protests from atop bridge on campus.

One man in the stairwell can be heard asking, "Are we trapped, dude?"

Then several people begin coughing and screaming as cans expelled tear gas.

The video shows students trying to leave the staircase, but riot police appeared to be waiting for them at the bottom with tear gas. So, they walked up the steps and more police officers with batons instructed them to head back downstairs.

One woman shouted, "Wait, we can't go that way! They're shooting at us."

More cans were fired as the students screamed, covered their faces and pleaded with police.

A woman begged, "Please stop. Please."

Riot police at the top of the stairs allowed them to proceed after they begged the officers to stop throwing tear gas.

One shaken man shouted, "They f--ing trapped us and gassed us." Another said, "We couldn't leave."

A man identified himself as Tim Buzzard, a University of Pittsburgh student who lives in a tower located near the streets where the riots took place. He told the following story:

I was in the bridge observing the riot and police – a riot squad – surrounded us on both sides on the steps. We couldn't escape, and they shot multiple cans of tear gas into us. It severely burned us. I mean, I feel like I'm on fire. … I definitely feel like our rights have been violated. We were just observing and they were shooting tear gas into us. Who's responsible? The police, the chief of police, they have no business infringing on our campus. I don't care if there's freaking idiots running around in bandannas. They shouldn't be coming into our residence halls. There's no need for that.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, riot police chased students who were waiting in line at a local restaurant, studying at the library and observing in front of residence halls.

The Student Press Law Center reported that riot police also targeted and arrested journalists as they attempted to document the event. According to the Pitt News, seven say they were gassed with pepper spray or tear gas, another was sprayed in the face with mace and numerous reporters from Pitt News, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Twin Cities IndyMedia and several freelance journalists were arrested.

"There is some indication that at the very least, the police were indifferent to newsgatherer status," said Chris Hoel, an attorney representing the Pitt News. "There are even some indications that they might have been targeting journalists. ... In this case, [arresting journalists] seemed to be an objective."

Hoel told the Student Press Law Center, "They chased students eight blocks west and then charged them with failure to disperse. Think that through. They chase you for eight blocks and then tell you you didn't disperse."

Jacob Brown, student at the university, reported in a Pitt News column that the Pamplona in Pittsburgh suddenly became more like Tiananmen Square.

"I saw police throwing OC gas," he wrote. "I saw students being clubbed to the ground. I saw hell."

He acknowledged that the riot police were trying to ward off anarchists.

"But the anarchists weren't there," he wrote. "Instead, the only people I saw facing the wrath of the police were students. Our campus had suddenly become a battleground where there were no innocent bystanders."

Brown said he could not walk to his apartment because police would have arrested him.

"This wasn't my home," he wrote. "The principles of the United States had been lost in the wake of martial law. … [F]or the first time in my life, I was scared of my own government."

Police say 51 students were among 190 people arrested during the protests.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, the Citizen Police Review Board and Pittsburgh City Council say they plan to investigate the handling of arrests, the Pitt News reported.