Judge finds CPD sergeant not guilty on charges related to pinning of 14-year-old
SKOKIE, Ill. (CBS) -- A judge on Friday found a Chicago police sergeant not guilty on charges related to an incident in which he pinned a 14-year-old boy to the ground.
The incident happened last summer.
Attorneys for the teen said he was seen in a video being pinned down by CPD sergeant Michael Vitellaro after he thought the teen stole his son's bicycle.
Vitellaro was off duty at the time. He faced charges of misconduct and aggravated battery.
He had few words to say in the courtroom, only thanking the judge.
The family of the then-14-year-old boy, who is now 15, were angry and teary-eyed. They said this isn't the last the former sergeant will hear from them as they are planning to file civil lawsuit where he'll be forced to testify.
"My son gets attacked over a piece of property and somehow he's the one that's wrong here?" said Nicole Nieves, the boy's mother. "We're the ones that are wrong here? Because we chose to stand for our rights, because we chose not to be silent?"
Nieves added that the situation "will not define my son, and if anything, it will allow him to be that much stronger."
The courtroom was packed with supporters on both sides as the judge read his ruling. The charges carried a maximum of 15 years in prison.
The state argued that Vitellaro acted "aggressively" and without cause when he pinned the teen to the ground.
The judge poured over surveillance video from multiple angles. Testimony from the teen and other witnesses, as well as feedback from experts in deciding the case.
James McKay, Vitellaro's attorney, argued the decision was "the right thing ... based on everything that happened in the court room, and absolutely nothing that happened outside of it."
"He's got a wife who is a teacher here in the city and he's got two wonderful children," said McKay. "I think immediately his concern is for them and having a wonderful Father's Day this weekend."
As the judge delivered his decision, the teen's family sat in court, shaking their heads.
Vitellaro did not want to speak to the news media on Friday afternoon. He is on a leave of absence from the CPD. It's unclear whether he will seek to resume his position at the department.
Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability still has an open investigation on Vitellaro.