Alleged beating of teen nets $75,000 settlement
A Homewood man agreed to a partial settlement of his police brutality lawsuit against Pittsburgh after the city agreed to pay potential civil judgments against three police officers, his attorney said.
City Council on Tuesday approved a $75,000 settlement with Jordan Miles, 20, whose lawsuit continues in U.S. District Court against the officers who arrested him two years ago in Homewood. Miles, who is black, alleges the white officers never identified themselves as police when they "beat him to a pulp" and violated his civil rights after stopping him in January 2010 while he walked near the home of his mother and grandmother.
His Uptown attorney, J. Kerrington Lewis, said Miles and his family agreed to the settlement because the city has indemnified the officers -- Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte and David Sisak.
"We do believe it's the officers' responsibility, and they're the ones who should answer to it," Lewis said.
A Downtown attorney representing the officers said they were simply doing their jobs. The officers were in a high-crime area at night, saw Miles near a house and stopped him, said Bryan Campbell. He said Miles ran and resisted arrest. In May, federal officials announced they would not charge the officers. The city reinstated them, and all remain with the department.
"They used the force that was reasonable and necessary to subdue him," Campbell said, noting that Sisak suffered a knee injury that will require surgery.
Lewis said Miles last year completed his freshman year at Penn State Beaver, but didn't enroll for his sophomore year because of "cognitive problems" related to the incident. Miles could not be reached.
Lewis said the civil lawsuit against the officers is scheduled for trial on July 15.