Pittsburgh investigating officer’s slam takedown of Cubs fan
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto says the city will investigate a police officer’s slam takedown of a Chicago Cubs fan who was kicked out of last week’s National League Wildcard playoff game.
A video that has surfaced on YouTube.com and the website Sportsmockery.com shows a fan identified only as Dmitri and an unknown Pittsburgh officer grabbing him from behind and slamming him to the ground. Police say the man was being ejected from the game and resisted the officer’s attempts to escort him from PNC Park.
Elizabeth Pittinger, who directs the city’s Citizen Police Review Board, says it appears the officer “escalated” the situation “like a rocket.”
But police union president Howard McQuillan says the officer acted appropriately because the man refused to follow instructions.
The fan was handcuffed, but was not criminally charged.