District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced that Oddballs has voluntarily closed, and its license is set to be transferred.
PITTSBURGH —
A Pittsburgh police officer sustained injuries requiring surgery following a large fight at Oddballs on East Carson Street this past weekend. Sgt. Andrew Robinson will be off duty for six to 12 months due to an ankle injury.
District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced that Oddballs has voluntarily closed, and its license is set to be transferred. “We have an agreement that Oddballs is closed, and their license will now be put in a position where they can transfer it,” said Zappala.
Local business owners are calling for increased police presence in the South Side area. Ramone Pierce, owner of Bonez Barbershop, expressed the need for a stronger police presence to maintain safety.“I think more needs to be done,” he said. “I personally believe that we need our police station back down on Eighteenth Street. They took Zone 3, and they put it up in Allentown, which I understand, because they need it up there as well. But I believe we need a stronger police presence down on the South Side Flats.”
A spokesperson for the police department stated that the Pittsburgh police provide a dedicated weekly presence on the South Side’s busiest nights, resulting in 190 arrests and over 1,200 citations since last year.
Zappala also disclosed that since May, Oddballs has had 11 police reports filed against it. The district attorney’s office continues addressing other problematic venues in the county, including Club Taboo in Homewood and the Panther Pitt in Oakland.
Source: Oddballs bar on Pittsburgh’s South Side closed after fight
