Springdale officials say the police response during the chaotic arrest of a resident at Tuesday’s borough council meeting was a “professional and controlled effort” and that videos of the incident do not offer “proper context.”
The incident saw the arrest of William Daniel “Danny” Rosenmund, 36, a frequent critic of Springdale police, after he went over the borough’s three-minute limit during council’s public comment period, according to police and witnesses.
Videos of the incident show four Springdale officers — including Chief Derek Dayoub — pin Rosenmund, 36, to the floor of council chambers as they attempt to handcuff him.
Rosenmund, who appears to be struggling on the ground, is screaming for help throughout the incident.
Springdale police charged Rosenmund with felony aggravated assault and lesser charges of simple assault, obstructing government, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and disrupting meetings.
The footage, however, does not show events immediately before Rosenmund was taken to the floor.
TribLive has submitted Right-To-Know requests to obtain surveillance video from council chambers and body-worn camera footage from the officers involved.
Springdale’s statement, which was issued by council and Mayor Joel Anderson, said Council President Mike Ziencik advised Rosenmund that his three-minute speaking period had elapsed and he needed to take his seat.
But Rosenmund continued speaking “in a louder voice,” which grew in volume, and he was informed that if he did not comply, he would be removed from the meeting, the statement said.
Rosenmund “failed to comply,” the statement said.
“This individual has had a history with initially failing to abide with the public comment rules and has been asked to leave the meeting on an occasion previously and complied,” the statement said. “On this occasion, the resident refused and was now screaming at Council.”
When police attempted to remove Rosenmund from the meeting, the statement says, he “physically resisted,” prompting Dayoub and another officer to restrain Rosenmund.
The videos, which begin only after Rosenmund is on the ground, “capture only a limited and selective portion of the overall incident,” the statement said.
“When viewed in its proper context, the response reflects a professional and controlled effort to manage a dynamic situation while ensuring the safety of all individuals involved,” the statement said. “As a result, any conclusions drawn from these partial depictions are incomplete and misleading.”
Lindsay Malinowski, a Springdale resident and a witness to the incident, told TribLive two officers approached Rosenmund from behind and began to place their arms around him but, Malinowski said, he stood stiff, leaned into the podium and continued to read.
The officers then took Rosenmund to the ground over a chair, she said.
Videos of the incident begin as Dayoub and three officers pin Rosenmund on the floor of the council chambers and disentangle him from the chair.
Later footage shows officers carrying Rosenmund out of the meeting to the police station next door.
Another video shows police and medics loading Rosenmund into an ambulance. When his wife, Kaitlyn Ockree, approaches the ambulance, Dayoub can be seen yanking her away and shouting for her to “back up.”
After Ockree is informed Rosenmund will be taken to AHN Harmar, Dayoub and another officer can be heard telling Ockree not to come to the hospital.
“You show up down there, you’re going to jail,” Dayoub and the other officer said.
Before Tuesday’s arrest, Springdale’s statement said, police had never had to intervene physically to enforce public comment policies.
Resident Ian Hill was escorted out of council’s February meeting by police after a brief back-and-forth with Dayoub from the podium, however.
The statement also defended the borough’s time limits during public comment periods, which is a common practice among local governments.
Springdale Council meetings include two public comment periods. One at the start of a meeting allows speakers to comment on agenda items, and a second at a meeting’s end is open for any matter.
“(Time limits) prevent a single person from monopolizing discussion time, ensuring that all residents and taxpayers have an equal chance to be heard,” the statement said.
Rosenmund had been speaking at the end of the meeting about Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act, according to witness Dani Jameson.
Jameson and Malinowski both noted that the speaker before Rosenmund had been allowed to exceed the three-minute time limit without incident.
Springdale’s statement also mentioned “documented threats” made against elected officials and police officers, saying police are present at meetings to ensure the safety of council and attendees.
Defense attorney’s statement
But Rosenmund’s defense attorney, Andrew Howard, said in a statement that the borough’s allusion to threats in the context of Rosenmund’s arrest is “maliciously misleading.”
“Mr. Rosenmund has not made, and was not making, any threats or behaving threateningly,” Howard said. “His public critique of illegalities by Springdale and Springdale police are not synonymous with threats, and does not merit a vicious physical attack by these officers.”
Howard also said the borough’s characterization of the arrest is “inconsistent with statements of witnesses and the footage.”
“The borough is correct that context matters, and that includes threats of violence by police and elected officials against civilians,” Howard said.
An assistant Allegheny County public defender, Howard said he hopes the District Attorney’s Office has a chance to review the case and resolve it quickly.
Rosenmund is a frequent speaker at Springdale Council meetings. He has recently criticized Springdale police’s decision to enter a 287(g) agreement to assist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers last fall without a public vote.
He has also directly criticized Dayoub for alleged past misconduct.
Though it was originally scheduled earlier, Rosenmund’s preliminary hearing is now set for May 27 before District Judge Michael Girardi. He was released on bond from Allegheny County Jail on Wednesday morning.
Dayoub did not respond to a TribLive request for comment.