Officer Facing Charges After Kneeling On 14-Year-Old’s Back

A police sergeant in Chicago has been charged in an off-duty incident. He is accused of pinning a 14-year-old down and putting his knee to his back. This came after the officer believed that the boy had stolen his son’s bike.

Sgt. Michael Vitellaro has been charged with official misconduct and aggravated battery in relation with the July occurrence, in Park Ridge.

On Thursday, the 49-year-old officer surrendered to police and was transported to a Cook County courthouse for a hearing.

On Wednesday, he had been relieved of his duties.

A recording of the incident depicts the off-duty officer pulling the boy, putting his arms behind him while he was on the sidewalk. He then put his knee in the juvenile’s back although a friend had told him that the teen hadn’t stole his son’s bike.

The teen’s lawyer stated that the matter is a “clear-cut case of racial profiling.”

“The off-duty officer is white and the boy was the only person of color in a group of teenagers,” he added.

The officer’s behavior is still being investigated.



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