Pittsburgh city employee allegedly used wasp spray in incident of driving aggression – WPXI

PITTSBURGH – A city of Pittsburgh employee is on disability and faces assault charges following an alleged incident of driving aggression on the Panther Hollow Bridge.

“He's just defending himself and saying, 'Why are these people attacking me? I'm a city employee and I'm doing my job,'” defense attorney Phil DiLucente told Channel 11.

DiLucente says that's what Pittsburgh Public Works employee Paul Grguras was thinking when he allegedly sprayed wasp spray in another driver's face.

According to police, it happened last week when Grguras drove an excavator over the Panther Hollow Bridge.

Investigators say the driver of a car behind Grguras honked because Grguras pulled out. Police say Grguras then stopped the excavator and began arguing with the other driver.

Grguras then allegedly broke the victim's side mirror and sprayed wasp spray in his face.

However, DiLucente told Channel 11 that his client was the victim.

“He gets out and before you know it, they roll up the window, almost pinning his hands and pulling the car back up. Then his body hits the side mirror

But that was not all: According to police, Grguras began to insult the victim's two children with racist slurs and threatened to hit them.

“I think that was something that was said, if at all, just out of anger … but not something that was derogatory toward any particular race or ethnicity,” DiLucente added.

At that moment, another public servant passing by stopped and de-escalated the situation.

As for Grguras, his future in public service is uncertain. A city spokesperson told Channel 11 that he is undergoing disciplinary proceedings and has since been placed on leave.

The spokesman added that the city apologizes to the family that interacted with this worker – and does not condone his behavior.

“There are a lot of allegations. This criminal complaint is one-sided, but I think everything will be resolved in the end,” DiLucente added.

Investigators say the victim's children recorded the incident.

Grguras lost his job with the city in 2007 after being accused of failing to disclose a criminal record during a background check. He sued the city and got his job back in 2010.

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