Judge Acquits Off-Duty Chicago Cop For Pinning Park Ridge Teen Over Stolen Bike

SKOKIE, IL — A judge found the Chicago Police Department sergeant who pinned a 14-year-old boy to the ground outside a Park Ridge Starbucks not guilty of criminal charges stemming from the incident.

Sgt. Michael Vitellaro was acquitted of one count of aggravated battery and two counts of official misconduct following a three-day bench trial in Skokie.

Vitellaro had been recorded with his knee on a Park Ridge boy's back on July 1, 2022, during his off-duty investigation into the theft of his son's bicycle from the Park Ridge Library.

The sergeant had spotted his son's bike outside the coffee shop at 100 S. Northwest Highway and sought to detain one of the Maine South High School freshmen near it.

The boy who was taken to the ground had touched the stolen bike to move it.

Video of the incident was widely shared. Attorneys for the boy's family described it as an incident of racial profiling.

"He's taking my son's bike," Vitellaro says in the 45-second video, responding to the group of teens telling him to get off of the boy.

After the Cook County State's Attorney's Office filed felony charges against him last August, he was relieved of his police powers and is currently on a leave of absence.

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Cook County Circuit Judge Paul Pavlus on Friday found Vitellaro had probable cause to act as he did, noting during the verdict that the teen's parents had raised money on GoFundMe and retained a civil law firm.

Pavlus said the image of the off-duty officer with his knee on the teen's back was "horrible" but “a picture serves 1,000 emotions but doesn’t serve 1,000 words," Pioneer Press reported.

Pavlus said he did not believe testimony from the teens, and pointed out that the boy who had been pinned did not suffer any physical injuries from the incident.

"You're free," Pavlus told Vitellaro after delivering his verdict, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "I hope you can put this behind you."

A friend of the teen who was pinned to the ground admitted under oath that he had taken the bike. Describing it as a "stupid mistake," he testified that he stolen it near the library for a "joyride" and put it up against a pillar at the nearby Starbucks, according to Pioneer Press.

"I didn’t want anything like this to happen," he said. "I’m completely sorry. I just feel terrible.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Alyssa Janicki argued that Vitellaro had lied when he failed to check a box on a form indicating he had performed a takedown, although he admitted to having done so when interviewed by Park Ridge police.

Meanwhile, defense attorney James McKay, who has a track record of successfully defending Chicago officers, suggested throughout the trial that the boy's family was trying to enrich themselves off the incident and argued that the state's attorney's office was unfairly targeting his client, describing the case as "another Kim Foxx special."

Attorneys for the boy who was pinned to the ground issued a statement following the verdict pledging to file a civil complaint imminently.

"Michael Vitellaro escaped criminal justice today. He also escaped a jury trial by exercising his right to a bench trial, knowing full well the odds of a favorable outcome were improved," said Antonio Romanucci, Bhavani Raveendran and Javier Rodriguez. "However, he will not be able to escape our pursuit of justice in the civil courts, and we plan on mounting a vigorous prosecution to bring him to justice. The Judge today created a story that this child was somehow on the bike, despite no video evidence of that being true, to justify his not guilty ruling and exonerate this Chicago Police Officer."

Romanucci, Raveendran and Rodriguez said the boy was not armed and did not present any physical threat to Vitellaro.

"There is no doubt our young client was innocent, and the trauma of this experience has indeed harmed him emotionally. We are quite disappointed that Judge Pavlus chose not to see Vitellaro’s conduct met the threshold for aggravated battery or official misconduct," the attorneys said, praising Foxx's office for filing the charges.

"The pursuit of justice for this family is not only about criminal justice," they said, "it is absolutely about social justice and ensuring young men and women of color and their communities can trust law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect all of them."

Earlier:
Trial For CPD Sergeant Charged With Pinning Teen To Ground In Park Ridge Begins
CPD Cop Charged 7 Weeks After Kneeling On Teen At Park Ridge Starbucks