Video allegedly shows Pittsburgh officers beating man at halfway house
theGRIO REPORT - Last August, a man was allegedly beaten by Pittsburgh police at a halfway house. On Monday, the investigators looking into the surveillance video said the force appeared to be justified.
Last August, a man was allegedly beaten by Pittsburgh police at a halfway house.
On Monday, the investigators looking into the surveillance video said the force appeared to be justified.
In the video, resident Lonnie Jenkins is pushed against the wall and beaten multiple times with a retractable baton. According to WPXI, Police say he had refused to cooperate in a drug search and had clenched his fists when officers approached.
“There are times when officers have to use force to take people into custody, and there are times, unfortunately, when it doesn’t look good, but it’s the nature of it sometimes,” said Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Eric Holmes.
However, Attorney Scott Wescott says otherwise. “(He did) nothing whatsoever, and as you can see by the video, the only time he engaged the police at all was in a total defensive posture,” he said. Wescott also said that Jenkins intends to file a civil lawsuit.
Jenkins was ultimately charges with drug possession and resisting arrest.
