The circle of relatives of Josh Nieves, the 14-year-old boy pinned to the bottom by means of an off-duty cop for transferring a motorbike, is suing town of Chicago and the police officer, Michael A. Vitellaro.
On July 1, 2022, Vitellaro pinned down Nieves, placing his knee at the small of his again, outdoor of a Chicago Starbucks after Vitellaro suspected Nieves of stealing Vitellaro’s son’s motorbike. Vitellaro used to be charged with reputable misconduct and annoyed battery however used to be discovered no longer in charge previous this month.
Now Nieves’ circle of relatives is suing. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, states that Nieves used to be speaking to his pals outdoor a Starbucks on his motorbike. When he sought after to relaxation his motorbike, in opposition to a pillar, he repositioned Vitellaro’s son’s motorbike, which used to be allegedly stolen and brought to Starbucks by means of any individual else, and that’s when Vitellaro accused him of stealing his son’s motorbike and carried out “force along with his proper hand to [Nieves’s] left shoulder, in what can best be described as a transparent show of over the top and unjustified use of power in opposition to a minor.”
Angel Nieves, Josh Nieves’ father, in a information unlock, stated, “The misuse of power, irrational conduct, and unprovoked movements of this Chicago police sergeant can’t cross unchecked, so we can proceed to combat for our son and, in doing so, hope to suggest for others who really feel unvoiced of their pursuit of justice.”
Previous this month, Josh Nieves advised the court docket: “I used to be stunned. I believed I used to be going to lose my lifestyles.”
All the way through his testimony, the teenager stated he had not anything to do with the robbery of Vitellaro’s son’s motorbike. The Nieves circle of relatives stated they consider Vitellaro’s assault at the early life used to be “racially motivated.” In step with the lawsuit, Josh Nieves “sustained accidents of a non-public and pecuniary nature, together with severe emotional damage, on account of stated confinement,” and he “somewhat feared that he would maintain important bodily damage” and that he suffered “critical emotional misery, together with nervousness, worry, anger, embarrassment, and humiliation.”
Town of Chicago didn’t right away reply to a request for remark.
“Vitellaro’s behavior stunned each the group of Park Ridge, in addition to first rate other folks all over the world,” stated Nieves’ lawyer Javier Rodriguez, Jr. “This behavior can’t be tolerated, and each Vitellaro and the Town of Chicago can be held in control of their movements. We look ahead to wondering Sergeant Vitellaro at the stand and preserving him to account sooner than a twelve-person jury of his friends, and, additional, permitting a jury to make a decision for themselves what justice and duty appear to be.”