http://www.wtae.com/news/local-man-charged-in-racerelated-incident-near-downtown-railroad-tracks/33395980



Police: Man tossed off platform onto T tracks in race-related assault
Ryan Kyle accused of throwing Kevin Lockett onto tracks at Wood Street station, police say
UPDATED 7:10 PM EDT Jun 04, 2015


PITTSBURGH —Police credit a gutsy witness for leading to the arrest of a 21-year-old man suspected of throwing a black man onto the tracks at a downtown T station in an assault they said appears to have been fueled by alcohol and racism.

Police said the witness not only saw the victim get thrown onto the rails and beaten unconscious Saturday night, she followed the suspects out of the Wood Street station and into the streets, where officers were waiting.

"In my 21 years here, this is one of worst attacks I've seen," Port Authority Police Assistant Chief Matt Porter said, referring to surveillance video that shows Kevin Lockett, 55, being grabbed and tossed off a platform.

VIDEO: Watch the report by Laurie Penco

According to the criminal complaint, Ryan Kyle and four friends who were headed home from the Kenny Chesney concert had argued with Lockett on the T. When they got off at Wood Street, words continued to be exchanged and Kyle allegedly threw Lockett onto the tracks, police said.

Once Lockett was down on the rails, one of the people with Kyle stood at the edge of the platform so the man could not climb to safety, according to the complaint.

Lockett eventually got back up to the platform, only to be beaten by Kyle as the suspect's friends stopped him and robbed him, police said.

In the complaint, a police officer wrote that the suspects "were very upset and wanted to know why they were being stopped" when he found them at a bus stop on Sixth Avenue near Smithfield Street.

"I addressed them as a group and informed them we were investigating an assault that had just taken place on the platform at Wood Street," the complaint said. "Kyle stated that he was the one who hit the guy, and 'who cares it was only a (n-word).'"

Another man with Kyle said, "I don't know why you are making a big deal about this, he is a crackhead (n-word)," according to the complaint.

"There were some racial terms during and after with one of our officers, all directed at the victim," Porter said.

Lockett was in too much pain to be interviewed by Pittsburgh's Action News 4 on Thursday. He was awaiting surgery for several broken bones in his face, but he said there's no doubt that his attackers came after him because of race.

"It's obvious," Lockett said.

An online criminal docket shows that Kyle, of Baldwin Borough, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 17 on charges of attempted homicide, ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault, robbery, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Online court records don't list an attorney who can comment on the charges.

The other suspects who were with Kyle are not charged with ethnic intimidation but are facing charges related to the attack on Lockett.