Police Officer Under Internal Investigation For Allegedly Using Taser On Restaurant Employee
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh Police officer is under internal investigation for allegedly using a Taser on a restaurant employee at a Downtown Pittsburgh pizza shop.
The incident took place in October at Villa Reale pizzeria on Smithfield Street.
Surveillance video shows Officer Ronald Hough discharge his Taser at Dominic Reale, the owner's son.
"I feel shocked, I feel threatened, I feel upset, that's all I have to say," said Reale.
Reale's attorney says the incident was completely unprovoked, and that Officer Hough was eating pizza and talking with Reale just moments before.
"We need to believe in our police officers. The police officers that work with him have to be confident that the person standing next to them is not going to make a foolish mistake in a combat situation," said Joel Sansone, Reale's attorney. "This was an innocuous situation in whack no one should have been put in danger. There was no excuse for the use of force here."
Sansone says it's not the first time the officer has shown poor judgement.
He released a second video from the same restaurant, which shows Officer Hough pull out his Taser and point it at a repairman as a joke.
The police chief said he's taking the complaint seriously and will take appropriate action depending on the outcome of the investigation.