Motorcycle Officers Who Assisted at Trump Rally and Sustained Injuries Were Not Authorized to Be There

Two Pittsburgh unit supervisors who assisted at the deadly Trump Rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday were moved out of their unit. According to a WPXI exclusive, their superiors claim that the officers were not authorized to work the rally and were supposed to be available for First Lady Jill Biden's motorcade in Pittsburgh that same day. 

Two Pittsburgh motorcycle cops who were assisting with security at the Trump rally and injured by shrapnel when an assassin fired on Trump were transferred away from their unit as punishment, a local Pittsburgh news station is reporting.

Sources told WPXI/11 News in Pittsburgh that officials were mad at the officers for not working security at Jill Biden’s event. 

The plot thickens.

11 Investigates has learned exclusively that two Pittsburgh police motorcycle officers who were injured during the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally over the weekend have been removed from the cycle unit.

That decision has sparked controversy and disagreement inside the department.

Sources told Chief Investigator Rick Earle that those cycle officers were asked to assist with the Former President’s motorcade to that rally in Butler County on Saturday.

According to Earle’s sources, the officers claim they notified the proper personnel with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and received authorization to help, but according to the same sources, the bureau said they didn’t get permission.

Sources told 11 Investigates that the Pennsylvania State Police requested Pittsburgh motorcycle officers to assist with former President Trump’s motorcade Saturday night from the airport in Allegheny County to Butler County and back again.

Pittsburgh sent 10 officers, and four were hit by shrapnel when Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire, injuring former President Donald Trump, killing firefighter father Corey Comperatore, and injuring others. The Pittsburgh motorcycle officers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene. One later went to the hospital.

Video from CBS News shows those Pittsburgh officers, just minutes after they were hit with debris, in the stands helping some of the injured, even carrying one to safety.

But two days after their heroic actions, two motorcycle unit supervisors were transferred out of the unit.

Sources told 11 Investigates the bureau claimed they never got permission to assist Trump.

The motorcycle supervisors claim they did get permission, according to sources.

As with the Secret Service involvement (or lack thereof) at the rally, there is much confusion on what should have happened and what actually occurred. According to the WPXI sources, there were also "concerns that some of those officers should have been available to help with the First Lady’s visit to Pittsburgh at the same time." Assistance had to be called in from nearby universities to aid Pittsburgh Police in managing Jill Biden’s motorcade.

The more the investigation unravels, the more interesting it gets. Now it's become a battle of they-said, they-said between the spokesperson for the Pittsburgh brass and the president of the Fraternal Order of Police union.

A Pittsburgh police spokesperson sent a statement to 11 Investigates.

“This was an administrative decision made by the Chief. Per the FOP [union] contract, I am unable to speak to the reasons behind the move as it involves personnel,” said spokesperson Cara Cruz.

The President of the Pittsburgh police officers’ union fired back in a statement to 11 Investigates.

“In a time when we should be honoring the heroics of these officers, we’ve created some petty administrative investigation in the midst of a serious political race,” said Fraternal Order of Police President Bob Swartzwelder.

11 Investigates has also learned there are questions about the overtime hours put in by some of the cycle officers.

In the transfer memo, Police Chief Larry Scirotto did not list a reason for the moves, only stating it was “for the good of the bureau.”

"For the good of the bureau?" Sounds like people above their pay grade are looking to assign blame. As the expression goes, "crap runs downhill."