A Pittsburgh police officer said he punched a handcuffed woman, bloodying her nose, after she bit and scratched him while resisting arrest on a drug charge, according to court records filed Thursday.
Officer Ronald Postell “delivered a closed-fist strike” to the face of Angel Bradford, 28, during the arrest Wednesday evening in the city’s Homewood neighborhood, according to a criminal complaint.
The incident is under review both by Pittsburgh’s independent Citizen Police Review Board and a use-of-force expert enlisted by city police.
Bradford scratched Officer Joshua Richards’ hand as he tried to detain her, according to a criminal complaint.
Once Richards handcuffed Bradford, she continued to “passively” resist, “refusing to stand on her own body weight and not complying with verbal commands,” the complaint said.
As officers walked Bradford toward a marked police SUV, she bit Postell on his right forearm and dug her nails into the back of his legs, the complaint said.
Postell then punched her once in the face “in an attempt to get her to stop biting,” the complaint said
Bradford suffered a bloody nose and was evaluated at UPMC Mercy hospital, according to the complaint.
She was cleared and then taken to the Allegheny County Jail.
Part of the encounter was captured on video, which circulated online.
A police spokeswoman did not respond Friday to questions about whether any of the officers involved in the incident had been placed on administrative leave.
The complaint identified two other officers at the scene as Tristin Houser and Justin Wardman, both recruits.
Postell joined the police bureau in April 2019, while Richards began in August 2019.
Officer Benjamin Pettenati, who is seen on the video telling a bystander a supervisor would be coming, is not mentioned in the complaint.
In a prepared statement Thurday, Cara Cruz, a police spokeswoman, said the incident began the day before around 7 p.m. when officers were dispatched to the 7200 block of Forest Way following “community complaints of drug use in an abandoned structure.”
Police found Bradford and Calvin Everette, 54 sitting behind an abandoned building, the complaint said.
Bradford “immediately clenched her fists” to hide what she was holding, according to the complaint.
Officers said they found marijuana in an empty cigarette case near Everette.
After police asked Bradford to open her hands to see what she was hiding, she stood up and fled, the complaint said. She tossed a crack pipe into the tall grass, police said.
Houser, Postell and Wardman detained Everette during the incident, the complaint said.
Everette refused “to back up away from the apprehension.” He yelled and was clenching his fists as a large crowd of onlookers formed.
In her statement, Cruz provided several details not mentioned in the complaint.
Cruz initially said an officer told Bradford “Let go of my leg” before striking her in the face.
She also said officers’ body-worn cameras showed Bradford “continuing to offer resistance” as police tried to put her in a police vehicle.
“Stop trying to bite me,” Cruz quoted an officer as saying.
Those details are absent from the complaint. Police have not responded to multiple requests to release the body-worn camera footage.
Cruz did not identify the officers in her statement.
In a roughly 90-second video of the incident posted on social media, Bradford can be heard saying, “I want a cigarette” before being hit.
The video shows an officer lashing out with his arm, but the contact with Bradford is obscured.
“You just hit her!” a man off camera said after the punch. “I’ve got him on camera hitting her in the mouth.”
Pittsburgh police said they reviewed the incident internally, standard practice when any officer uses force.
Community concerns prompted the bureau to ask a Pennsylvania State Police use-of-force expert to “determine the appropriateness of the force applied,” Cruz said.
State police have not returned phone calls or emails seeking comment.
Cruz said “there will be a thorough and impartial investigation into this incident.”
The review board also is investigating.
Elizabeth Pittinger, the review board’s longtime executive director, said the video showed the woman was restrained when Richards hit her. She called the officer’s response “immature and unprofessional.”
Police charged Bradford with two counts each of aggravated assault and tampering with evidence and one count each of drug possession, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and evading police.
She was arraigned and taken to the Allegheny County Jail, court records show. She was released after posting bond. Her attorney was not listed Friday in court records.
Her preliminary hearing is set for April 27.
Everette was charged with obstruction and two drug charges. He later was released, court records show. His hearing is set for May 5.