3 men injured during 2020 Pittsburgh protests sue city

Three people who were injured by Pittsburgh police during the George Floyd protests in Pittsburgh two years ago are suing the city and the officers involved in federal court.

Alexander Horell said in the complaint filed Friday that he lost his right eye after he was struck by a projectile fired by police on May 30, 2020.

Gordon D. Brown said he lost two teeth after he was shot in the face with a less-than-lethal round.

And Hatem M. Hassan said he suffered a displaced fracture to his hand when he was cornered in an alley by officers who fired rubber bullets at him.

The lawsuit, filed by Pittsburgh attorney Fred Rabner, alleges that the three men had been part of peaceful protests and were not involved in the violence and chaos that unfolded Downtown that day, including the burning and destruction of two Pittsburgh police vehicles.

The complaint includes claims for a violation of their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful protest, unlawful arrest, retaliatory prosecution, excessive force, failure to train and denial of medical care.

A spokeswoman for the city said she could not comment on the pending litigation.

The lawsuit accuses the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police of being ill-prepared to deal with the protests.

“Pittsburgh Bureau of Police did nothing to adequately prepare for crowd control or protests despite the fact that they had been occurring in cities across the country in the days following the George Floyd killing,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit accuses city police of indiscriminately firing beanbag rounds, rubber bullets, flashbang grenades and chemical gas during the protest.

“As the PBP officers advanced toward protesters, they knowingly and intentionally shot at peaceful protesters from point blank range, sometimes even pointing out their targets before firing,” the lawsuit said.

The complaint accuses officers of purposely aiming at individuals’ faces and heads, even though bureau policy specifically prohibits that unless deadly force is necessary. It also said that officers fired from a distance less than what city policy requires.

In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Special Response Team officers at the scene were targeting protesters who were running away.

The lawsuit further accuses city officers of failing to render aid when the plaintiffs were injured — which is also against policy.

Following the protests, dozens of people were charged by the city, the lawsuit said. Ultimately, the district attorney’s office chose not to move forward with prosecution against many of those.

According to the complaint, criminal charges were filed against Horell, 20, and Brown, 19, “to minimize the level of culpability applied to (Pittsburgh police) and its response to the protests which occurred on May 30, 2020.”

Nonjury trials are scheduled for the men on July 6, according to online court records.

In addition to the Pittsburgh police department, former Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich, former Chief Scott Schubert and several individual officers also are named defendants in the case. They include Sgt. Phil Lerza; Officers Sean Stumpf, Ryan McDonald, Aaron Conner and Shane Kovach; Lt. Phillip P. Mercurio Jr. and Detective Michael Mares.