Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala is reacting to a seemingly random beating of a 71-year-old man last week.
Police accuse Daniel Velazquez of attacking the victim near the Cultural District.
Zappala believes it's an indication violence remains an issue Downtown.
“It wasn’t just the punching, he stomped him, I mean it doesn’t rise to the level of criminal attempt homicide but it was pretty bad,” said Zappala. “It’s the second beating, by the way, we’ve had downtown. So, all this nonsense about violence going away, it’s not going away.”
Velazquez was initially charged with simple assault, but Zappala says it's been upgraded to aggravated assault.
He also faces charges of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.
Magistrate Judge Xander Orenstein released him on non-monetary bond.