Father of boy pinned by man on playground speaks out

PITTSBURGH — The father of a boy who was pinned down on a local playground by a Pittsburgh firefighter is speaking out about what happened.

Channel 11 first reported this story in June. Since then, Thomas D'Andrea has been charged with assault.

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At the time of the incident, D'Andrea said he thought the boy was vandalizing property in the area and was holding him down until police arrived.

The boy's father told Channel 11 that video of what happened shows a different story.

"He kneed him a couple times in the ribs and punched him in the face," David McGovern said.

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D'Andrea said the boy hit him first, but Morgan says that's not true.

"By [my son]'s description, the man swung on him after harassing him and telling him he should run. And then following him from the truck all the way to the playground," he said.

The family has hired attorney Blaine Jones, but it's too soon to say if they will file a lawsuit.

"This 46-year-old man is not the king of Greenfield. He can't determine who comes and goes in Greenfield. He should have called the officers if he thought something was wrong and allow the officers to do their job," Jones said.

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