A police officer who was videotaped yelling at a City Paper reporter on Wednesday, as the reporter videotaped the scene outside of the Wood Street T Station, has shown up in a YouTube video pushing a young girl with his baton and shouting obscenities at the crowd.
The most recent video, shot by someone who posted it under the name Asi Lovely, shows the unidentified officer pushing the teen to the ground and shouting, “Get on the sidewalk, god damn it. Get the fuck out of here.”
He then tells a person recording the scene to “Get it all on tape. Make sure you get it all, asshole.”
The teen who was pushed can be heard asking about her brother, whom she says police have taken into custody, before she is pushed. The video initially shows the teen standing near an Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputy. However, the city police officer pushes the deputy out of the way to get to the girl and then pushes her with the baton.
Sources tell CP that the officer’s name is Nicholas Papa, who according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article graduated from the police academy in 2009. The Pittsburgh Citizens Police Review Board has opened an inquiry into the interaction on Wednesday between Papa and City Paper reporter Ryan Deto. The interaction occurred as Deto videotaped the scene of the arrest of a juvenile who was allegedly hitting the emergency button on the T station’s escalator; an adult who was charged with three misdemeanors; and three juveniles who were later cited for misdemeanors and released. The first several seconds of the video are below, and it can be seen in its entirety here.
City Paper brought the video to the attention of Beth Pittinger, the executive director of the CPRB. Pittinger called the video “awful.”
“We believe this to be the same officer from the City Paper video, and yesterday I said he lost his professional poise, today it’s even worse,” Pittinger said. “Even the little things like banging the mailbox with the baton and the language shows me that this guy was clearly out of control. You don’t do this to children.”
“I am stunned with that officer’s conduct toward that kid. He even pushed a deputy out of the way to get to her. This is clearly unbecoming at the very least. She’s crying and upset, and he uses force against her.”
Pittinger said she believes the officer also stepped outside of the professional code of conduct by pushing the deputy out of the way.
“That deputy didn’t seem to be concerned,” Pittinger said. “He wasn’t escalating. He was in command and control of that situation. Apparently whatever that young girl did annoyed the city officer, and he pushed the deputy and ran in there like a bat out of hell.”
Late Thursday, Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay released a statement about the initial video indicating that: “On first examination, the video provided shows no evidence of serious police misconduct. The matter will be investigated by Police Zone 2 command and the Office of Municipal Investigations, to address questions raised about officer conduct. During tense times such as these, it can be challenging for officers to maintain professional decorum, but doing so is an expectation of our profession. Training, counseling or discipline will occur as the need is identified during these reviews.”
This article appears in Dec 16-22, 2015.
Thanks for covering this, Charlie and Ryan. Very concerning.
I hope the girl and her brother are okay.
This is very upsetting.
Thank you for running this story. The girl and her brother are not okay. The brother’s leg is injured and he is limping while he walks. And the baton hit the girl hard on her right arm whom we took to the hospital yesterday and the doctors said that she needs to call a pediatric because the arm seems seriously injured. Other boys who were arrested at the time also got injured. One whom his right wrist was twisted while being handcuffed just for stepping out of the bus and standing there.
I can’t even imagine the trauma this young girl is facing. Her crying broke my heart. The pgh cops are awful.
It is so telling that blacks and whites can see the exact samething and have two different perspectives. The fact is tonite protesters are matching on the street of Chicago for the 13 month cover up of a murder by a police officer no one is under any illusion Isis isn’t black people problem the police is and this isn’t anything new it a reoccurance in black life here in America
One of the boy who got arrest had injury. Leg …ut really serious..someone need to do something about this ..there is no way the popo would arrest 5 african boy for no reason ..this is not fair .justice need to be provided..we want justice 😢😢😢🙅🙅🙅🙅
It’s amazing how the people don’t even know what happened before this video started yet they have everything to say about “do black lives really matter” and “black on black” crime blah blah blah…. Smh… Haven’t you learned already that stating that stuff makes you look really bad? It has no place in the fight for injustices against people… Yet you holier than thou folks want to pretend your people arent blowing up your own kind in meth labs and high-schools all across America….
I live in a mixed community. Assholes are assholes whether your white or black. Some wrongs have been done to some but not all of the black folks. I’m not a cop lover but when they tell me to do something I do it or I know there will be consequences. White folks get lumped up by police but we don’t cry about it or every little thing.
Everyone is failing to realize she is a a young girl! A YOUNG GIRL! This could have been anyone’s daughter or sister how would you feel if it was! Color doesn’t matter! “THINK” if this was your daughter or sister and she came home crying and said a man put their hands on them how would you feel!?? Ok, that’s what I thought!!! So sit down with all the black on black crimes bull and the “oh the white man is innocent” ! Stop looking at color and see the bigger picture he’s is a grown man putting his hands on a young girl! See the problem yet!
Instead of like or dislike at the bottom, it should be racist or not racist. I am not a police officer but am close friends with a few. If police officers were held accountable for their actions, just like you and me, there would be much less video taping of police interactions with people. And a person pressing a button on an escalater is not ‘black on black crime’. Just like the few times I have been pulled over, there were too many police at that situation.
Here. White or black. If an officer of the law tells you to get on the ground.. do it! Or prepare to have your dick kicked in simple. If you’re white in the situation you’re not entitled to any special treatment *we do listen more often tho* if you’re black don’t run or try to attack the officer you will be shot multiple times and that’s not cause you’re black that’s because they’re taught to kill the target not injure the target. So just put your hands behind your back if asked. None of this WHY WHAT AM I BEING CHARGED WITH!? Or NAW MAN THIS FUCKED UP resisting arrest while saying NAW MAN I AINT RESISTING. lol shits funny but yall wonder why the batons come out or a dickhead gets shot this is why.
This only shows a small part of what was happening and everyone wants to scream brutality. What the video doesn’t show is anything prior to the person being pushed into the sidewalk or the police officer who was murdered less than 30 miles away a week ago. How does that have anything to do with this incident you ask?… Police have to constantly look over their shoulder these days because the whole country seems to be out to get them even though any one of these officers would take a bullet for any one of the idiots giving these guys a hard time. Grow up people. I’m tired of seeing our police treated like shit by the public.
Y’all wasn’t there I was right there we been pushing that button since last year obviously they need to cover the button instead of it being in the open😒 But now it’s a problem, 3 boys have to do community service for what? One of them got arestted right when he got of the pat bus for no reason just for standing there, trying to see what’s going on ! the 19 year old pulled up in his car to get his little sister and the cops started bothering him 😴 The boy in the yellow hoodie, they just arestted his brother when he got off the pat bus for no reason so y’all go for him next, he’s on crutches now. students are scared to go downtown to wood street now, Because of what the officers did now there’s teachers that leaves school to make sure everyone get home safely there is teachers that drive students home because these students are scared. Yesterday it was hard for a student to get up the stairs because of what they did to his leg, they made him walk because we’re not aloud on the escalators no more, but they aint nothing without a gun and a badge 🖕🏾👮🏻
The officer clearly told them to get back on the curb, that they need to move the car.
They were not obeying. Why?
You cannot say that they were not at fault themselves. In a situation like this, follow the officer’s orders. It’s a shame they got rough but the officer was VERY clear in what they were to do and the onlookers did not obey. That was the first problem.
Y’all still dont understand the SIMPLE FACT. A grown strong officer should NEVER do that to a young girl, I don’t care what situation they’re in. Unless she had a weapon(which she clearly didn’t) and he is simply trying to protect himself than I would understand for such actions. But she was completely harmless and fragile. And I am not afraid to say that because she is African he didnt think twice before attacking her. He broke her arm and she will probably get a casket and I hope y’all think about your daughters or sister being treated that way. Same as the boys who were also injured just for hahappening to be African and present when the event occured. #AllLivesMatter no matter if your White, Black, Asian, African, or Immigrant from wherever. We shouldn’t have to escape from a country of war and come here and be treated as if though we never left. Yes Am African and I am a Muslim and I am also human. Just as anybody else. #AllLivesMatter
I work in the building across the street and thought there was a bomb threat or serious safety concern when this was going on. At least 15 police cars around, as well as traffic blocked off around the station, and a couple of blocks as well. Was quite surprised to find it was this.
And now all these “children” are victims. Look and listen to the video. Three cops are telling this girl repeatedly to get back up on the curb so the car can move and she doesn’t listen and then sits down on the curb in front of the car. @0:11 she stands up from sitting on the curb before being pushed back up on the curb by the cop. And @0:14 the black lady starts yelling at the kids “why y’all not listening, get your ass home”. Of course nobody did nothin’. It’s all right there on video. And rocks just fell from the sky at the police.
Not reading the city paper anymore after this sad attempt at a story.
Is Pittsburgh, Trying To Be Like Others States!?…. I Don’t Know What Happen, But I Question How Far Back A Person Should Be…. It’s That 1% That make It Bad For The 99%…. But I’m Sure A Lawyer Will Be Happy To Take Up This case, Meanwhile…. Put Your Complaint In With “Internal Affairs”, There Is No Reason For People to Fear The Police!….. One Day Their Going To Push The Wrong Person, A Veteran That Have Dealt With Others, And Will React Just As Fast To The Situation In A Positive Forceful Way, Defending His Self.
SHUT THE FUCK UP “AFROQUEEN” and SIT THE FUCK DOWN “MYIA” can you be realistic. For one fucking second. My grandfather bumped three kids 15 yo maybe with his car because they were walking down the middle of the street as he honked for them to move they turned around told an 80 year old man to fuck off continued to give him the middle finger and continue walking now if that was me I would have hit them harder to knock some sense in their ghetto asses but he’s kind. Now here’s the sad truth go on YouTube and type “boy punches girl” every video contains a black male early teens hitting a female. You can’t say there isn’t an issue. You can’t! Your culture their role models it’s ruining these children. And you wanna pull the black card instead of disciplining and doing something that shows you’re media hungry full of greed and think you are entitled well guess what you’re not. So slap the shit outta your kids and quit acting like its normal. They’ll either be convicted by 12 or carried by 6 jail cell or casket and parents the choice is yours get off your lazy fucking high horse. I’m sick of it. Your generation has a fucking problem. Here the list as of now. 1.isis 2.poverty 3.drugs 4.how the youth act nowadays and guess what that #4 spot contains murder. Cause that’s what these fucking hoodlums think is cool nowadays. To kill one and other “black on black crimes” hmmmm no white on white crimes tho? Go figure. Could be that they’re 90% gang related. Kill the disease. Stop the spread of useless nonsense wasting tax dollars and air.