On behalf of PennLaw LLC
posted in Drug Crimes on Friday, May 18, 2012
The arrests of two
Pittsburgh-area men in 2010 that were later overturned by video evidence have
resulted in a second lawsuit. As in the previous suit, the plaintiff is
accusing two Pittsburgh police officers of arresting him on drug charges
without probable cause and lying on the arrest affidavit.
The plaintiff was one of
two men arrested at a Pittsburgh car wash in July 2010. The arresting officers
later claimed they observed the men exchange drugs before arresting them, but
footage from a security video at the car wash proved that the so-called drug
deal did not happen.
The officers later admitted
falsifying information on the arrest affidavits they filled out for the case.
One of the officers said he simply copied the information contained in his
partner's affidavit, which included several factual errors. The officers were
criminally charged in connection with the incident, but were not convicted.
Still, one of the officers retired from the force and the other was reassigned
to the Warrant Office.
The lawsuit, which names
the officers and the city of Pittsburgh as defendants, alleges false arrest,
malicious prosecution and other charges. The city solicitor declined comment on
the suit, which joins a similar suit by the other arrested man.
After the video surfaced,
the Allegheny County District Attorney reviewed the officers' prior arrests and
dropped charges in several cases which relied on their affidavits.