DA Will Not Bring Charges Against Officers In Jordan Miles Case
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced that he will not bring charges against three police officers accused of beating Jordan Miles in 2010.
Zappala's remarks came as County Councilman Bill Robinson asked for a closer look into how the District Attorney's Office is handling claims of police misconduct.
Zappala addressed the media Wednesday morning to make the announcement.
"The use of force does not lend itself to a criminal prosecution," he said.
Miles claims in January of 2010, he was walking to his grandmother's house on Tioga Street when three plain clothes officers, Officers Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte, and David Sisak confronted him.
Miles claims they beat him during an arrest attempt. The officers have said that Miles ran from them and appeared to be armed.
There was harsh reaction from Jordan Miles and his family.
"After all this time if he didn't do anything, you can assume that nothing was gonna be done," he said. "I mean, this doesn't do anything but fuel me to continue to push forward, motivate me and seek change."
"He chose not to pursue this and to me, that's just a blight on his reputation," Terez Miles, Jordan's mother, said.
The FBI and experts on police force concluded the officers were justified.
Retired State Police Trainer Cliff Job said the officers had reason to use force because they were in a high crime area, had reasonable suspicion and believed Miles was armed with what later turned out to be a bottle of Mountain Dew.
The expert also concludes Jordan Miles concealed his presence, declined to cooperate and kicked one of the officers.
Miles denies it.
"That is false," he said. "I never fought back. I struggled to get off the ground, but I never physically hit any of the police officers."
But Zappala is relying on the report's conclusions and says he won't be pressured by the community.
"This is not a political forum," he said. "We follow the law. We follow the evidence, we follow the law."
In March, City Council passed a bill which will pay Miles $75,000, to cover legal fees and other costs.
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