Lawsuit Alleges That Pittsburgh SWAT Team Engaged in Gang-Style Retaliation

A Pittsburgh woman filed a
lawsuit earlier this month alleging that members of the
Pittsburgh Police Department used a SWAT team to exact revenge
against her husband, William Moreno, after he assaulted and injured
an off-duty officer at a South Side bar. 

As with every lawsuit, this one should be taken with a grain of
salt. While the
AlterNet story currently circulating doesn’t mention it,
there’s security
video from a bar that shows Moreno attacking Officer Michael
Murray, and it’s pretty bad. According to local news, Moreno
fractured Murray’s skull and broke his leg, so there’s no question
he needed to be arrested. 

But if what the Moreno family alleges in their lawsuit is true,
the Pittsburgh PD SWAT team essentially served the warrant for
Moreno’s arrest as if they were a gang striking back at rivals:
 

In the early morning hours of December 7, 2010, William
Moreno, husband of plaintiff Georgeia Moreno, was involved in
an altercation with an ununiformed, off-duty police officer at a
local veterans club. The off-duty officer was
highly intoxicated. William Moreno was not arrested. He left
the scene and returned home.

Defendant Morosetti obtained a warrant for the arrest of William
Moreno and a warrant to search the plaintiff’s residence for
the purpose of locating William Moreno. Defendant Morosetti
had been informed that Moreno would voluntarily turn himself
in to the police. Nevertheless, Defendant Tersak approved the use
of the SWAT team to carry out the warrants. Defendant
Englehardt planned the SWAT operation, including determining
the number of officers to use to invade Plaintiffs’ home.

On December 7, 2010, at approximately 7:00 p.m., William
Moreno, plaintiff Georgeia Moreno, and her step-father
plaintiff Mark Staymates were in the family’s living room
watching television. Plaintiff Darlene Staymates, who was ill,
was asleep in an upstairs bedroom. Minor plaintiff Briseis
Moreno was playing with her toys in another upstairs bedroom.
Minor plaintiff Trentino Moreno was taking a shower in
the upstairs bathroom. Georgeia Moreno’s adult son was in the
kitchen.

Suddenly and without warning, plaintiffs heard a loud explosion
followed by a series of bright lights, “as if grenades were
going off.”  

Twenty-three (23) officers dressed in full swat gear including
helmets and facemasks broke in the front and back doors to
Plaintiffs’ residence. The officers stormed through the broken
doors and entered the living area pointing assault rifles
at plaintiffs and shouting obscenities.  

Defendant officers did not announce themselves and plaintiffs
were unaware that the men invading their house were police
officers. The defendant officers knew William Moreno by sight and
Mr. Moreno produced his I.D. He was immediately apprehended,
handcuffed and removed to the kitchen.  

After Mr. Moreno was secured, plaintiffs Georgeia Moreno and
Mark Staymates were thrown to the floor, and kicked
repeatedly. The officers placed their assault rifles against
these plaintiffs’ faces and their feet on their backs shouting
“put your hands behind your back.”

Although they complied with the officers’ orders,
both plaintiffs were forcibly handcuffed. Plaintiff Mark
Staymates was handcuffed by Defendant Sarver. He sustained
injury to his shoulder due to the handcuffing.

Georgeia Moreno’s adult son was handcuffed and forced to lie in
broken glass on the kitchen floor.

Ms. Moreno pleaded with the officers repeatedly that she
had young children in the house.

At least one of the officers stated, “You think you can
get one of ours and we won’t get one of yours?”
 

After William Moreno, Georgeia Moreno, Billy Moreno and
Mark Staymates were handcuffed, some of the officers proceeded
to the upstairs of the home while others roamed the first
floor and basement, shouting obscenities,
terrorizing plaintiffs and destroying the house and
plaintiffs’ personal property.  

Ten-year-old Trentino Moreno was taking a shower.
Defendant Burtt dragged him forcibly from the bathtub causing
significant injury to both ankles.

He was then made to stand naked in the hallway with
his sister. Eventually he was permitted to put on a shirt and sit
on a bed with his grandmother and young sister while the
officers continued their raid.

After all of the individuals in the house had been secured and
William Moreno had been identified, Defendants Reddy, Epler,
Nicholas, Friburger, Gorham, Novakowski, Kolarac, Hairston and
Marabello entered the residence, searched plaintiff’s home and
questioned plaintiffs.  

Defendant Reddy told Ms. Moreno that she was lucky they found
her husband at home because otherwise they would have killed
him.

If one of the SWAT officers really said, “You think you can
get one of ours and we won’t get one of yours?,” and if the
officers really destroyed the family’s home and terrorized the
children therein after having secured a suspect who volunteered
himself for arrest, then they are no better than
criminals.