Officers On Leave After Video Surfaces Showing Them Beating Facedown Suspect
NEW KENSINGTON (KDKA) -- A video being shared on social media shows officers hitting a facedown suspect as he shouts.
New Kensington Police Chief James Kline says, "We are going to be as transparent as possible, and we will be above board as much as possible."
Chief Kline was reacting to the cellphone video, which was posted to Facebook on Friday afternoon. Since then, it has been viewed thousands of times, showing a New Kensington police officer and another officer from the city of Arnold allegedly punching, stomping and putting a man in a chokehold.
That man has been identified as 40-year-old Justin Harvey. He was taken into custody in New Kensington, after a brief police chase and pursuit.
Chief Kline said the two officers involved in the confrontation have been placed on administrative leave. He says he also asked Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck to investigate the video.
Warning: This video contains vulgar language --
Todd Hollis, an attorney retained by Harvey's family, said, "Police want to build trust with the community, but when you look at the [cellphone] video, how can you even suggest that? If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this video was worth a million."
Jeris Price, Harvey's cousin, who showed up at the police station Friday night along with other family members, said, "The action of the police while he's in custody is very disturbing. I thought the New Kensington Police were better than that."
When asked what he thought of the cellphone video, Chief Kline told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti, "It's disturbing. We're not going to condone any type of misconduct that's done. We will let the facts be facts, and will let this play out."
A district judge held an arraignment for Harvey behind closed doors Friday night, because he said a crowd had started to gather outside and he was concerned for everyone's safety.
The judge set bail at $75,000.
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