Attorneys for the officers tried to establish that no long-term damage was done to the then 18-year old after attorneys for Jordan Miles earlier indicated he'd suffered long-term effects from the night he said he was beaten by three plain-clothes Pittsburgh Police officers.
Before the January 2010 incident, Miles was an honor student at Pittsburgh CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts high school) and qualified for the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program. Miles testified he now has trouble concentrating and had difficulty in college before ultimately leaving school.
Attorneys for the three officers called Miles' boss at CVS Pharmacy to the stand. Casey Rothermund testified Miles is a model employee who has never had any problem with any aspect of his job, and has never indicated he had any disabilities that would prevent him from any duties.
An attorney for Miles asked Rothermund if he'd ever known Miles to make up stories, but defense attorneys objected to that question. Rothermund went on to say Miles always followed directions and never disobeyed any orders.
The emergency room doctor who first treated Miles following the incident also testified. Thomas Martin said that night there was no indication Miles suffered a concussion or other brain trauma, and added some of the swelling and marks on his face could be consistent with a fall onto concrete and into bushes. The officers have testified that when Miles tried to run from them he fell onto his face, then in the following pursuit got tackled into some bushes, which is what caused his injuries.
Miles said the three men beat him, choked him, and struck him in the head with a hard object such as a flashlight. The emergency room doctor testified his injuries could be consistent with that scenario as well. A doctor who saw Miles about 24 hours after his first hospital visit testified earlier that Miles did show signs of head trauma and swelling on his neck. An attorney for Miles asked if it was possible for injuries to manifest hours after an attack or traumatic event. The doctor said that does happen.
Closing arguments will be presented tomorrow in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh.
