Harrasment??

[Sager18]

I had someone run me off the road twice then follow me for 4 city blocks all the while he is screaming he was a police officer and point his finger at me like a gun saying he'd shoot me the police came but did not arrest him but said I could file charges on him for harassment my question is would it be worth it and what exactly would happen

 

[quincy]

I had someone run me off the road twice then follow me for 4 city blocks all the while he is screaming he was a police officer and point his finger at me like a gun saying he'd shoot me the police came but did not arrest him but said I could file charges on him for harassment my question is would it be worth it and what exactly would happen

What is the name of your state, Sager18?

 

[Sager18]

It's Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

 

[quincy]

The following seems to be a pretty good link to "street" harassment laws in Pennsylvania (the link is 2013-vintage; I am not sure if any laws have changed significantly since this was published):

http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/SSH-KYR-Pennsylvania.pdf

You can potentially file a complaint with the police. It will then be up to the police to decide whether to pursue charges against the person.

 

[Sager18]

The police did take a report and gave me the incident number and I was told I would have to go to the magistrates office to file a formal complaint I'm just wondering if this is something worth pursuing do to the nature

 

[quincy]

The police did take a report and gave me the incident number and I was told I would have to go to the magistrates office to file a formal complaint I'm just wondering if this is something worth pursuing do to the nature

I don't know whether this is something worth pursuing or not.

Do you know this person? If not, do you think this was just some random crazy person who is unlikely to cause you or anyone else trouble in the future? Do you consider him dangerous? Do you think that potential jail time for the person will help prevent him from acting in the same way again?

I am not sure about Pittsburgh but in Detroit we have some homeless people who are homeless because they were released from mental health facilities with nowhere else to go. So they live on the streets. They are not dangerous so much as in need of housing and mental health services. Jail would not help them (except to provide them with a bed and a meal for a night or two).

 

[Sager18]

No I don't know this person but I do know they took pictures of me and my vehicle and licenses plate which could potentially lead them to where I live also in a day and age of where people are committing random acts of violence it's hard tell if this person is a serious threat or not but if this person was a police officer as they claimed to be that could be equally as dangerous for them to be on the streets hence why I'm at a loss on what I should do

 

[quincy]

No I don't know this person but I do know they took pictures of me and my vehicle and licenses plate which could potentially lead them to where I live also in a day and age of where people are committing random acts of violence it's hard tell if this person is a serious threat or not but if this person was a police officer as they claimed to be that could be equally as dangerous for them to be on the streets hence why I'm at a loss on what I should do

When I read through your other posts the first time, I was picturing in my head a person running after you on Pittsburgh city streets, and I realize now my picture may not have been correct.

Was the person who was following you and shouting at you driving a car? Could the person's actions be the result of a road rage incident (where the person perhaps thought you cut him off in traffic or some such thing)?

Whatever the case, if you think the person could be a threat to your safety or to the safety of others, you might want to file a complaint and have the police investigate him further.

For some comfort, perhaps, this person would have to make quite an effort to locate you if all he has is your license plate number. Most people will not make that effort. And, unless he was in a car with police lights and he has something to point other than his finger, I think he comes across more as crazy than a serious threat. But, you are right - in today's climate, it is hard to tell who is a serious threat and who is not.