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The shootings involved two Allentown police officers in the 100 block of North 7th Street in Center City on Aug. 29, according to Lehigh County Gavin P. Holihan in a press release.
Two men who were shooting at one another were arrested after the chaotic incident that sent festgoers running in all directions. The pair were charged as follows:
- Yunior Peralta-Quintana, 21, was arrested moments after the shooting and is the individual that "Officer One" observed and engaged with during this incident. He is being held on $750,000 and is due to appear at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 8, according to court records.
- Miguel Angel Ovalles-Ubri, 28, is the individual that "Officer Four" observed and engaged with. Ovalles-Ubri was arrested on Aug. 29. No bail was set for Ovalles-Ubri, court records show.
One of the men wounded the other man, Holihan said, while two officers fired a total of 12 rounds.
"The action of these officers certainly ended an ongoing and very real risk of death or serious bodily injury to numerous people in the North Lot that evening," Holihan concluded.
"I have concluded that the use of deadly force by the Allentown Police Officers was justified," Holihan stated. "No criminal charges are appropriate against any officer and no charges will be filed by this office."
The DA was assisted in its investigation by the Allentown Police Department, he said. Regarding the ruling, the DA released the following statement:
"I have reviewed the comprehensive reports of the Allentown Police Department; including video, audio, and photographs of the incident including the relevant events before and after the shooting [...]I have reviewed multiple sources of information including evidence submitted by the community. I have reviewed the interviews of all four officers who initially responded to the shooting in the North Lot as well as the body camera footage that was recorded of the episode. I have also reviewed videos provided from non-law enforcement sources."
Holihan would not identify the officers involved "because I have concluded that their actions were justified and they are not subject to criminal prosecution or further investigation."
Two officers fired their weapons during this episode. Two other officers were present in the North Lot but did not fire.
"The actions of Ovalles-Ubri and Peralta-Quintana in shooting at each other in a parking lot filled with people unequivocally prove that the use of deadly force by law enforcement was justified. Peralta-Quintana and Ovalles-Ubri endangered numerous festival attendees that night and the reaction of Officers One, Two, Three, and Four forced Peralta-Quintana and Ovalles-Ubri to stop shooting and to flee," Holihan concluded.
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