Chicago Attorney IDs Officer Accused Of Body Slamming Cubs Fan

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Chicago attorney Phil Turcy has identified the officer in the controversial video of a Cubs fan being body slammed at last week's Wild Card baseball game as Pittsburgh officer Kyle Nelson.

Cubs fan Dimitri Mitalas says a dispute in the stands after a Pirates fan threw something on him escalated and that the officer's interaction with him ended with a body slam.

The police union has said Mitalas brought it on himself by not complying with commands, but his Chicago lawyers see it differently.

A statement from J. Thomas Chute from the Chicago law firm Turcy Chute, LLC says:

"We believe the video clearly shows a use of excessive force by the police officer upon Mr. Mitalas."

When we caught up with Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay earlier today, he would not comment on the status of the investigation, but did say the case illustrates the need for more police body cameras -- something he's been advocating.

"It really does highlight an interesting point," said McLay. "It highlights the need for me to continue to explore our ability to deploy body cameras on our officers. 'Cause you notice the video that was posted only showed what happened from the point an officer felt they needed to intervene and contact the citizen and it didn't show what happened beforehand. An officer-worn camera would have captured the entire contact."

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