New trial set in Jordan Miles case: White Pittsburgh Cops Brutally Beat Unarmed Black College Student (Expect More Racism)

From [HERE] A young black man who claims he was wrongly beaten by three Pittsburgh police officers in January 2010 will have a new trial on 2 of his three civil rights claims starting July 8. On August 8, 2012 an eight-member federal jury decided in favor of three white Pittsburgh police officers in the Miles case. The jury was composed of 7 whites and one black man. [MORE]

Mr. Miles, a college student, claimed undercover officers had no legal basis to approach him. Officers chased him when he ran and when they caught up with him they beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. The officers put him in handcuffs, and repeatedly shoved his face into the snow, causing a piece of wood to impale his gums. He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed. No weapons were found. He suffers from permanent brain damage. [MORE] 

The officers told a jury that they saw Mr. Miles acting suspiciously between two houses and that when they questioned him he ran. They mistakenly thought he had a gun and arrested him using only the force necessary, the officers said. Police said the Mountain Dew bottle looked like a gun. 

Six of eight jurors voted to find in favor of the officers on the excessive force and false arrest counts, resulting in a mistrial. All eight jurors found in favor of the officers on a malicious prosecution count, which as a result will not be at issue in a second trial. [MORE]

Solicitor Dan Regan maintains the officers' response was reasonable based on their training. But Miles' attorney J. Kerrington Lewis says he expects to prevail.