Daytime assault in Downtown Pittsburgh leaves man, 73, with broken face bone

The Department of Pittsburgh Public Safety has announced intent to form a focused plan to decrease mental health-related crimes after a brazen daytime assault in Downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday that left a 73-year-old man with a broken bone in his face.

Officers said that Jameel Huff, 24, chased Jan Levinson, chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Board of Directors, and punched him in the middle of Fourth Avenue.

The blow caused Levinson to fall and strike his head on concrete, according to a criminal complaint.

Police said the assault was caught on video.

Huff, of the city’s Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood, told officers that he chased down Levinson and accused him of being a pedophile, the complaint said.

When asked why he believed Levinson to be a pedophile, Huff said that “he heard it in his mind,” according to the complaint.

Police were dispatched at noon to Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street for an assault outside of Dollar Bank. They found the victim, battered and bloodied.

Levinson told officers he’d been attacked while walking down Fourth Avenue. According to the criminal complaint, he said a stranger ran up behind him and walked next to him for a few seconds.

When he tried to run away, the assailant came after him and attacked.

Police found Huff an hour later after watching surveillance footage of the assault captured by the Point Park University Safety Center.

Levinson went to UPMC Mercy hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken orbital bone, the complaint said. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Emily Bourne, he has been released from the hospital and is still healing from his injuries.

Levinson declined interviews about the incident, but released a statement through the federation.

“Yesterday, I was attacked in Downtown Pittsburgh by an individual with known mental health issues,” he said. “This was not an incident of antisemitism.

“First responders including police and emergency services responded quickly and professionally to this attack. As the city council is trying to encourage more people to live Downtown, I urge them to make sure Downtown stays safe so that we can better protect the people who live there.”

In response to the incident, the Department of Public Safety released a statement about developing a comprehensive plan to help eliminate mental health-related crime.

“In response to the need for enhanced and coordinated mental and behavioral health services, the director of Public Safety, Lee Schmidt, is convening a group of key public safety operational and justice system stakeholders across the city to move forward with a comprehensive plan of action with the goal of eliminating incidents like those that have recently occurred Downtown,” the statement read.

Partners will include various law enforcement agencies, District Attorney Steven Zappala’s Office, the Allegheny County Courts, Allegheny County Department of Human Services and mental health and wellness providers throughout the city.

“The Department of Public Safety is eager to work together on an ongoing basis to streamline and improve resources that best support and meet the needs of those suffering from serious mental illness while ensuring the safety of all Pittsburgh residents and visitors.”

Huff is charged with aggravated assault. He is being held at the Allegheny County Jail, has has a preliminary hearing is set for July 10.