FBI Investigates Police Use of Force in UW Student Arrest

    SEATTLE, WA, January 07, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On December 7, 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the opening of a criminal civil-rights probe into Seattle police officers' use of force against college student David Pontecorvo. The announcement follows Pontecorvo's 2012 arrest at his West Seattle home.

On Sept. 22, 2012, Pontecorvo, a student at the University of Washington, suffered a broken nose, broken cheekbone, cuts, and bruises after police responded to a noise complaint. He spent the weekend in jail after being treated in the emergency room. Charges were never brought against Pontecorvo.

"They escalated a situation that professional officers should be able to address," Pontecorvo's lawyer, Dan Fjelstad of Scott, Kinney, Fjelstad & Mack, PLLC (SKFM Law), told KOMO News. "If a civilian beats somebody up like this, that would've been a felony assault."

Pontecorvo and his lawyer successfully filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and settled for $100,000.

The FBI is investigating incident reports, medical records, photographs, witness statements and other documentation of the officers' actions. This will mostly likely include video and photo footage of the incident that he and others in the house were able to record on cellphone cameras.

Fjelstad believes the FBI investigation is a crucial step in holding the police accountable for their actions. "Two of the officers got the SPD sued for almost precisely the same type of excessive force they used with David. Despite the violent nature of the incidents, neither of those officers faced any discipline."

Pontecorvo, a senior at the University of Washington, had surgery in June to resolve medical issues associated with the arrest.

About Scott, Kinney, Fjelstad & Mack, PLLC

Scott, Kinney, Fjelstad & Mack, PLLC (SKFM Law) is a Seattle-based team of personal injury, civil rights, workers compensation, employment & disability attorneys. Since its founding in the 1950s, SKFM Law has been fighting for the rights of injured and disabled persons in the Seattle area and across the state, with the goal of obtaining full and fair compensation for its clients. Brian Scott, Jay Kinney, Daniel Fjelstad, Donna Mack, Rachel Scott, and Mark Derricott have been have been in practice together for many years and have over 130 years of combined legal experience.

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