ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown police were justified in repeatedly hitting a handcuffed man and tasing him during an arrest this month, Lehigh County’s district attorney said Friday, backing up an internal police review.
Cops arrested Michael Iucolino, 29, on Saturday night after responding to a reported domestic disturbance at his home.
A 43-second video of the arrest taken by Alexus Ibbetson shows an officer hitting Iucolino seven times in the leg with a baton before another officer strikes him from close range with a Taser.
“It's important to show the community what happens on a daily basis in our city, so that you can see that what you get on occasions — a small snippet of a longer interaction — is not the full story."District Attorney Gavin Holihan
Lehigh County District Gavin Holihan at a news conference Friday called that video “one-sided” before showing a seven-minute video taken by an officer’s body camera.
“It's important to show the community what happens on a daily basis in our city, so that you can see that what you get on occasions — a small snippet of a longer interaction — is not the full story,” Holihan said.
Allentown Police Department said officers were justified in using force against Iucolino, a ruling Holihan supported Friday.
“I have concluded that there is no evidence to support the filing of criminal charges against any of the Allentown police officers involved in this incident,” he said.
Bodycam footage
The bodycam video starts with police outside the door to Iucolino’s home in the 200 block of North 16th Street. Officers were called there by Ibbetson’s brother, Holihan said.
About 15 seconds into the video, a woman can be heard yelling “Get off of me!” prompting Allentown police to enter and climb a staircase.
Iucolino can be seen at the top of a staircase with a small child in his hands.
An officer immediately approaches and Iucolinon appears to push his hand away.
The situation quickly turns physical as officers try to subdue Iucolino while he’s still holding the child.
Ibbetson screams repeatedly from another room for police not to hurt her son.
Officers tackled Iucolino about 30 seconds after the initial contact but wrestled with him for about two minutes as they handcuffed him inside, the video shows.
Iucolino then kicks at an officer in the lobby of his building before two officers drag him onto the sidewalk.
The video — somewhat obscured by blue-and-red police lights amid the scuffle — appears to show an officer punch Iucolino in the stomach while another officer is on the ground.
That officer was tripped by Iucolino, who used a “leg lock” to keep him on the ground, Holihan said.
The video shows an officer hit Iucolino seven times in his right leg before the officer on the ground discharges a Taser into Iucolino’s chest from what appears to be less than a foot away.
The video ends with Iucolino face down on the ground as officers hold him.
No domestic-violence charges
Throughout the video, Iucolino tells officers they have no right to arrest him because they were “not invited” and had no warrant to enter his apartment.
“It’s not like the vampire rules where they need to be invited into the home."District Attorney Gavin Holihan
That’s true in many circumstances, but Pennsylvania’s law requires police to enter if they believe someone is in danger during a domestic disturbance.
“It’s not like the vampire rules where they need to be invited into the home,” Holihan said. He said people would consider it “a dereliction” of duty if officers didn’t enter.
Iucolino is charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, according to court records.
Iucolino face no charges related to domestic violence, as Ibbetson “has not identified herself as a victim” or pursued charges against him, Holihan said.
“Moments like these necessitate access to the facts and demonstrate the value of body cameras in protecting both officers and civilians from misinformation and rush to judgment."State Rep. Josh Siegel
Ibbetson can be heard throughout her video yelling that she will sue Allentown Police Department. Holihan said no lawyers have contacted APD or his office as of Friday.
Iucolino is in Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
"We have no comment regarding the District Attorney's press conference today," Ritter told LehighValleyNews.com. "At this time, we are preparing to defend our client at his prelim hearing on Monday."
State Rep. Josh Siegel on Friday applauded Holihan for releasing the body camera footage and his office’s “continued commitment to transparency.”
“Moments like these necessitate access to the facts and demonstrate the value of body cameras in protecting both officers and civilians from misinformation and rush to judgment,” Siegel said.
