FBI looking into CAPA student's police beating claim
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Black Political Empowerment Project Chairman Tim Stevens is joined by CAPA students in front of Pittsburgh City Council chambers. -
From left, Bria Thomas, Brya Adams and Teanna Corinealdi, all juniors at CAPA, walk to City Council. -
Some of the CAPA students wave their signs at motorists along Liberty Avenue as they marched to the mayor's office and City Council chambers. -
Terez Miles took this photo of her son, Jordan, after he was released from the hospital, following the incident with Pittsburgh police officers. -
Jordan Miles speaking in his kitchen on Jan. 22.
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The chief counsel for the Pittsburgh office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation this afternoon confirmed that agents are looking into allegations that city police officers brutally beat an 18-year-old CAPA student earlier this month.
"We've gotten a lot of inquiries about this," said agent Jeffrey B. Killeen. "And even before today, we were aware of this thing happening and we were assessing it."
Mr. Killeen stressed that the FBI uses "a tiered-approach" in its inquiries. They begin with "an assessment phase," then proceed to a preliminary inquiry and ultimately a full investigation.
"We're still in the assessment phase to determine whether to open a preliminary inquiry or a full investigation to determine whether any federal laws have been broken," Mr. Killeen said.
Violist Jordan Miles, a senior at the Creative and Performing Arts High School, alleges that undercover police officers Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte and David Sisak beat him Jan. 12, when they mistook the bottle of soda he was carrying for a concealed weapon. He was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest, but when officers did not show for a court hearing, the matter was postponed.
Pictures taken by Mr. Miles' mother show his face covered with bruises and his right eye swollen shut.
Kerrington Lewis, a lawyer for Mr. Miles, wrote a letter to the Pittsburgh FBI office formally requesting an FBI investigation, because, he said, only an outside agency can fairly investigate.
Mr. Killeen, however, said the lawyer's request had no bearing on the FBI's assessment of the case.
"There's been a great deal of publicity about this," Mr. Killeen said. "And we can open up cases on our own. We don't have to have an allegation from outside. We don't have to sit aside and wait for somebody to complain. We take action on our own if it is warranted.
"Our objective is to be objective and fair to everybody involved, whether it is a potential victim or any potential subject in the case. Investigations follow the facts. That doesn't mean we're actively investigating. But we're taking a look."
First Published January 26, 2010 11:25 am
