Police charge man with ethnic intimidation in Squirrel Hill verbal assaults

An Oakland man is accused for shouting racial and ethnic slurs at congregants of a Squirrel Hill synagogue and threatening to kill at least one man, according to the charges against him.

Tyrone Correll, 30, is charged with simple assault, harassment and ethnic intimidation in connection with two incidents earlier this week, according to police. He is also charged with making terroristic threats, disorderly conduct, aggravated assault and resisting arrest for his alleged actions as police tried to take him into custody.

Police said they received a report about 6 a.m. Monday of two people being harassed near the intersection of Murray Avenue and Nicholson Street.

The first man said he’d gotten off a bus near the intersection of Murray and Forbes avenues and was headed toward his synagogue, Shaare Torah. It was the first day of the Jewish holiday Sukkot.”

The man told police he was approached along the way by a man who shouted “I’m going to kill you and your babies, you Jewish (expletive),” according to the complaint. He said he was unsure whether he was pushed or he tripped over the sidewalk

Another man told police he’d also been verbally assaulted not far from the first incident at around the same time, according to the complaint. He told police the man was shouting profanities but did not threaten him.

Police said the suspect, later identified as Correll, matched the description of a man involved in other alleged incidents in the neighborhood.

Two days later, according to the complaint, police received a call from the security guard at Shaare Torah who said several congregants were following a man they believed was the same one who’d been involved in the previous harassment.

An officer in the area said Correll walked past their cruiser shouting racial epithets at the group of congregants who were following him at a distance, according to the complaint.

As officers approached, Correll allegedly began squaring up and balled his fists, saying “Don’t even come near me you (expletive) (expletive),” and threatening to kill the officer, police wrote. They also said he tried to punch the officer “with a haphazard left hand.”

Congregants identified Correll as the man involved in the harassment, and the congregation administrator told police Correll had been harassing worshippers near the synagogue for weeks, according to the complaint. The administrator alleged Correll had shouted ethnic slurs at him and one time ran into the synagogue shouting, “(expletive) you, Jews,” police wrote.

The administrator said he’d not had the opportunity to file a police report yet due to the recent Jewish holidays, during which he cannot use electronics.

Correll remained in the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday, unable to post $10,000 bail. Court records did not list a defense attorney.