PITTSBURGH (WPXI/CNN) – Pittsburgh police are reviewing an officer’s use of force during an arrest caught on camera Tuesday night.
Officer Andrew Jacobs was placed on desk duty Wednesday after cell phone video of the arrest of two men outside the PPG Paints indoor arena in Pittsburgh went viral.
Police say the incident started shortly after 10:30 p.m. when officers spotted David Jones, who had a warrant out for his arrest on forgery charges. He had escaped police before.
One of the officers wrote in the criminal complaint that when they approached Jones, he “looked at me and stated, 'You're the officer I ran from before, aren't you?' Jones then attempted to bull rush."
That’s when police say Daniel Adelman interfered in the arrest, leading to the incident caught on video. The video shows Officer Jacobs punching a suspect and repeatedly slamming him on the ground.
Both Jones and Adelman are scraped and bruised from the arrest, which is now being reviewed by Pittsburgh Police, the city’s Office of Municipal Investigations, the district attorney and the Citizens Police Review Board.
"Was it reasonable and appropriate to the circumstance? And you have a lot of very vicious force going on there. Smacking this guy's head off the pavement is pretty concerning,” said Beth Pittinger with the Citizens Police Review Board.
Jones is being charged with flight to avoid apprehension as well as resisting arrest, according to the criminal complaint.
Adelman faces charges of obstructing the administration of law, resisting arrest, and public drunkenness.
Chief Scott Schubert says when the department’s internal investigation is complete, they will share their findings publicly.
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