Review board votes to investigate Pittsburgh police's use of force during Downtown arrest captured on video

Pittsburgh’s Citizen Police Review Board voted Tuesday night to launch an investigation into whether Pittsburgh police officers used excessive force when arresting a Garfield man Downtown last month.

Pittsburgh police arrested Jashon Martin, 32, around 8:30 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Smithfield Street corridor near Mellon Square Park on multiple drug charges, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Authorities quickly came under fire after videos appeared on social media showing at least one officer delivering multiple, closed-fist punches to Martin’s side.

Three Pittsburgh-based groups said the videos “vividly depict a scene where the officers employed extreme and unjustifiable force.”

The review board did not rehash any of those details during its Tuesday night meeting held online on Zoom.

The six-member board simply held a voice vote to approve 10 investigations into alleged police misconduct, one of which involved Martin’s arrest. The vote was unanimous.

Elizabeth Pittinger, the board’s executive director, declined to comment about the investigation after the meeting. She said the board would review the matter at its Oct. 24 meeting.

Pittsburgh police Chief Larry Scirotto said an initial review of the incident showed officers’ use of force didn’t violate bureau policy. He called, however, for further review.

Police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said last week that Scirotto still is in the process of choosing members for a “sentinel review panel.”

A “sentinel event” is a “significant negative outcome” that signals a system’s underlying weaknesses, is likely the result of compound errors, or might provide, if analyzed, important keys to strengthening the system and preventing future adverse events, according to the federal Department of Justice.

On the night of Martin’s arrest, police observed him make multiple drug transactions, the complaint said.

Police also saw him fight with two other men before leaving the area and returning about 90 minutes later in different clothing, the complaint said. When he returned, his right arm was “pinned against his side and his right hand in front of his body, consistent with concealing a weapon on his person.”

Police attempted to detain Martin for a probable-cause search. They said he “immediately reached to the front waistband area of his body” and ignored commands to stop resisting, the complaint said.

During the course of the arrest, Martin was taken to the ground and an officer delivered several closed-fist punches in order to stop him from reaching toward his front waistband.

After Martin was handcuffed, a search turned up a fixed-blade knife, several bags and containers of marijuana, a digital scale, plastic sandwich bags and two cellphones, the complaint said.

Video posted to several social media platforms appeared to show officers holding Martin down to the ground as they tried to handcuff him. At least one witness calls out for police to “stop punching.”

Pittsburgh Public Safety officials, in an Aug. 26 statement, said they “are taking this encounter, and the considerable community concern it has generated, extremely seriously and are reviewing all available video footage.”

The Alliance for Police Accountability, the Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP, and the Black Political Empowerment Project issued a letter saying all three groups were “deeply troubled” by videos of the arrest.

The videos “vividly depict a scene where the officers employed extreme and unjustifiable force, raising serious questions about the proportionality of their actions as well as violation of impeding the right of the public to video record,” the letter reads.

Martin has been held at Allegheny County Jail since Aug. 26 on drug possession and resisting arrest charges, court records show. He also was charged with aggravated assault for attempting to harm Officer Brian Prunty, the complaint said.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10, court records show.