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Ohio Man Weighing Whether To Sue For Violent Arrest

An-Li Herring
/
90.5 WESA
Criminal defense attorney Phil DiLucente held a news conference in downtown Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 21, 2016.

*UPDATED: Sept. 22, 2017 at 2:54 p.m.

 

The lawyer for the Ohio man who was beaten by a Pittsburgh police officer outside PPG Paints Arena late Tuesday night declined to say whether his client, Daniel Adelman will sue for excessive use of force. A bystander caught the confrontation in a video that has been widely shared on social media.

“Only God knows what’s going to happen from here,” Adelman’s attorney, Phil DiLucente, said at a news conference Thursday. “But I can tell you we are very, very interested in all the investigating bodies and what their results are going to be.”

The Allegheny County District Attorney, Pittsburgh Police Department and Citizen Police Review Board are leading the investigations into the violent arrest. On Friday, the FBI announced that they'd be reviewing the incident to determine if a civil rights violation occurred.

DiLucente said he will eventually comment on the conduct of the five officers involved in the altercation. In the meantime, he hoped to obtain additional video evidence from arena staff.

“Can video lie? At times. If you don’t have the proper angles if you don’t have proper nuances that are all exposed when a video is taking place,” DiLucente said.

Adelman, 47, had been at a concert before the altercation. He approached three officers near PPG Paints Arena when he saw them engaged in a confrontation with a civilian. DiLucente said Adelman thought they needed help.

Adelman faces charges for resisting arrest, obstruction of law enforcement and public drunkenness. His preliminary hearing is Oct. 4.

 

*This post was updated to include the FBI investigation information. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.