By Police1 Staff
PITTSBURGH — Police released video Tuesday of a Jan. 8 incident between an NFL assistant coach and a police officer.
According to WTAE, Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter had a dispute with a bar bouncer. The incident occurred after Officer Paul Abel approached Porter to discover what the problem was.
Abel wrote in the criminal complaint that Porter charged at the bar bouncer and lifted him off the ground. Porter allegedly grabbed Abel’s wrists with a grip so strong “I could not pull them away from him, no matter how hard I tried.”
Porter was pushed back into a vehicle parked on the street, where Abel detained him.
Porter was arrested and faced multiple charges including aggravated assault of a police officer, WTAE reported. Those charges were dropped after the DA’s office said the footage didn’t support them.
A police report states the bouncer didn’t want to let Porter into the club because he had threatened him in the past. Porter’s attorney Robert DelGreco said the argument also involved whether Porter’s boots were proper attire.
Porter pleaded guilty Tuesday to a disorderly conduct citation and paid a $300 fine.
The Citizen Police Review Board, police union and Police Chief Scott Schubert have publically supported the original charges.
https://www.facebook.com/PittsburghPolice/videos/1843006059271570/