PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Four members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club were all charged after a brawl at Kopy’s Bar on the South Side earlier this month.
They are Frank DeLuca, Eric Heitzenrater, Bruce Thomas and Michael Zokaites.
New video (link is external) was released by their attorneys on Tuesday. Before the brawl, you can see DeLuca reaching out to shake hands with undercover officers.
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
“Our clients are minding their own business at the bar trying to ignore them. The officers are repeatedly going over, tapping them, touching them, trying to engage them,” said attorney Wendy Williams.
The attorneys believe things escalated due to the amount of alcohol they say the undercover officers were drinking.
“The main aggressor in this incident is seen drinking a fifth and a half of Jack Daniels in shots over the course of four to five hours,” said Williams.
“One of the officers brandished a firearm. He could barely stand. He was wobbly. Displayed a firearm to one of the defendants,” said attorney Martin Dietz.
“After this melee occurred, all seen on video, my client was restrained by four, possibly six officers and punched in the face after hair being pulled back and neck being pinched over 23 times in face and head,” said attorney Lee Rothman.
As for Thomas and Heitzenrater:
“My review of video (link is external) shows he took no aggressive stance, no aggressive actions and violently thrown to the ground unprovoked,” said attorney Thomas Will.
“My client absolutely engaged in no aggressive behavior and he was what we call sucker-punched twice by an undercover detective,’ said Dietz.
This case has been continued until Nov. 16.
USA - BN.
They are Frank DeLuca, Eric Heitzenrater, Bruce Thomas and Michael Zokaites.
New video (link is external) was released by their attorneys on Tuesday. Before the brawl, you can see DeLuca reaching out to shake hands with undercover officers.
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
The attorneys believe things escalated due to the amount of alcohol they say the undercover officers were drinking.
“The main aggressor in this incident is seen drinking a fifth and a half of Jack Daniels in shots over the course of four to five hours,” said Williams.
“One of the officers brandished a firearm. He could barely stand. He was wobbly. Displayed a firearm to one of the defendants,” said attorney Martin Dietz.
“After this melee occurred, all seen on video, my client was restrained by four, possibly six officers and punched in the face after hair being pulled back and neck being pinched over 23 times in face and head,” said attorney Lee Rothman.
As for Thomas and Heitzenrater:
“My review of video (link is external) shows he took no aggressive stance, no aggressive actions and violently thrown to the ground unprovoked,” said attorney Thomas Will.
“My client absolutely engaged in no aggressive behavior and he was what we call sucker-punched twice by an undercover detective,’ said Dietz.
This case has been continued until Nov. 16.
USA - BN.
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