Michael Vitellaro: Chicago cop charged with kneeling on 14-year-old teen's back while off duty
PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS: A Chicago police sergeant was charged on Thursday, August 18, following an incident where he saw a young boy moving a book and jumped to the conclusion that he was stealing it and pinned him down with his knee pressed against his back. The bike that the boy was in possession of belonged to the sergeant's son which provoked him to act out of proportion leading to him being charged with misconduct and aggravated battery. The incident was reminiscent of the George Floyd incident where he too was pinned down which led to a fatal result.
The incident took place on July 1 outside a Starbucks in Park Ridge where Sgt Michael Vitellaro, 49, caught hold of the Puerto Rican boy, Josh Nieves, 14, who was apparently moving Vitellaro's son's bike out of the way. It is said that his son's bike was stolen and he tracked it down to the Starbucks where this incident took place. Soon after the incident, Vitellaro surrendered on Thursday to Park Ridge police and was taken to the Cook County courthouse in Skokie for a bond hearing. Nieves' mother Nicole told WGN 9, "We see the bias of an off-duty cop, taking advantage of our brown boy with Afro hair, smaller in stature, choosing to take the law into his own hands with physical force." According to the mother, Nieves was made a target because of his skin tone indicating a hate crime. Judge Anthony Calabrese ordered Vitellaro's release on a $25,000 recognizance bond which indicates that he doesn’t have to post any money to get out. His next court hearing date was set for September 8.
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The Civilian Office of Police Accountability tweeted on July 5 declaring that they were aware of the incident involving an off-duty police officer. It said, "COPA is aware of an incident as reported by TMZ that occurred in Park Ridge on July 1, 2022, involving an off-duty Chicago Police Officer and are currently in the early stages of the investigation." This tweet came four days after the video of Vitellaro pinning down Nieves was made viral. Nicole also plans to file an official complaint. The Chicago Police Department revealed that the 22-year-old veteran was relieved of his powers on Wednesday, August 17. In response to this, Nicole said, "There is absolutely no room in our community for this unnecessary aggression towards any children at all and we’re so grateful for today’s progress towards accountability and justice.”
COPA is aware of an incident as reported by TMZ that occurred in Park Ridge on July 1, 2022 involving an off-duty Chicago Police Officer and are currently in the early stages of the investigation. (1/2)
— COPA (@ChicagoCOPA) July 5, 2022
Police sergeant pins down a young Puerto Rican boy
While the original post was shared by TMZ that brought this matter to light, it was later shared by Nicole Nieves on her Facebook account on the 4th of July weekend saying, "This isn’t the kind of post we wanted to share right now, during 4th of July weekend, but here we are. Nothing prepares you for this day. One minute, you’re cooking dinner… the next, you’re getting a call from your 14-year-old son, stumbling over his words through hysterical tears, saying, "Mom, please come pick me up…" You drop everything. Pray feverishly for his safety as you race to be with him. 4 police cars. Streets closed. 6 officers. At least 100 people around."
She continued talking about Sgt Michael Vitellaro, "He was not in uniform. He was not on duty. The allegation? Theft of his son’s bike—even though my son had his own bike present. The supposed “proof”? Our son’s hands were on the bike as he was moving it out the way…. while he was in possession his own bike, right next to him (the orange bike you see in the video.) This adult did not use words—he used force; he used his hands. Grabbed our son’s wrists, body slammed him, then held him down with his knee to forcibly restrain him. Teenagers yelling… trying to pull him up to no avail; my son losing his breath, witnesses telling the man, "He’s just a kid!"