A veteran police officer is being investigated after he tasered a shocked employee at a pizza restaurant during a seemingly unprovoked attack.
The CCTV footage shows Pittsburgh police officer Ronald Hough, who has been part of the motorcycle unit for 23 years, shoot his Taser at the unsuspecting Dominic Reale, 46, inside a pizza restaurant.
The long-serving cop was a regular customer at Villa Reale Pizzeria and Restaurant before the incident, and often ate with Mr Reale, who happens to be the owner’s son.
CCTV footage shows Pittsburgh police officer Ronald Hough, who has been part of the motorcycle unit for 23 years, shoot his Taser at the unsuspecting Dominic Reale, 46, inside a pizza restaurant
The shocking clip shows Mr Reale, wearing a work shirt and apron, standing behind a counter, seemingly talking with Hough, who is in full uniform.
The officer, who is standing beside a female customer, then pulls his electrical weapon and fires it over the woman’s shoulder across the counter, hitting the worker in the chest.
As Mr Reale struggles on the ground and tries to pull the probes from his body, Hough casually saunters round and stands over him.
The long-serving cop was a regular customer at Villa Reale Pizzeria and Restaurant before the incident, and regularly ate with Mr Reale, who happens to be the owner’s son. Above the pizza restaurant worker drops to the floor after being shot by the Taser
Hough casually walks up to the downed worker and helps him to his feet, dusts his chest down and pulls the probes from his body
Hough then puts the Taser on a table and helps the downed restaurant worker back to his feet before pulling the probes from his chest.
Mr. Reale’s attorney, Joel Sansone, told the Post Gazette: ‘When police officers abuse their power, all of us are in danger.
‘And so we must exercise our duty as the owners of this republic to monitor and control the conduct of those to whom we give the right to use deadly force.
The pair can be seen walking together, before Mr Reale was shot by the taser, apparently chatting – although the video has no sound
Mr Reale talks to a female customer while leaning on a counter before the cop pulls the Taser and fires it over the woman’s shoulder
‘This family is an iconic Pittsburgh small-business family that should not have suffered the abuses that they have suffered at the hands of this misguided public servant.’
Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert said the department will be carrying out a thorough investigation into the incident.
‘I take any complaint seriously, we are going to thoroughly investigate and take appropriate action either way with the outcome.’