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A Steelton man arrested for drunk driving says three Harrisburg police officers beat him while he was in a holding cell waiting for a court appearance.
Ryan Westover, 22, says he was punched in the face, choked, stomped and kicked while he was shackled and handcuffed in the at the McCormick Public Safety Building after his May 18 arrest. Westover says one of the officers even admitted punching him in the face.
Westover was pulled over for running a red light in Harrisburg as he was driving home from a bar and charged with DUI, aggravated harassment and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to police.
Magesterial Dstrict Judge Joseph Solomon said Westover appeared before him that night with facial injuries so severe that Solomon thought Westover had been in a vehicle accident.
"I surmised, based on the information I had available to me, that this occurred while in the booking room and not out on the street," Solomon said. "What sort of behavior he demonstrated while he was in the custody of police, I have no idea about."
Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed said Westover was fighting with officers in the detention cell.
But Westover's attorney said according to the police report, his client was not resisting arrest or being combative with officers.
"It makes the entire Harrisburg Bureau of Police look bad for the actions by one or two people," Solomon said. "There's usually sufficient manpower in the booking room and there are certainly other acceptable means of restraint available to the police."
The allegations have prompted formal investigations by the police department's internal affairs unit as well as Dauphin County's Criminal Investigation Division.
Westover has been released on his own recognizance. The officer accused of punching him has been temporarily relieved of his duties during the investigation, which is standard proceedure for any such allegation, according to police.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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