Niles man sues city of Warren, cops for excessive force

Niles man sues city of Warren, cops for excessive force

WARREN — A Niles man has sued the city of Warren and its police department for the way six police officers treated him last October outside of Aulizio’s Catering and Banquet Hall on Youngstown Road.

Joseph Kijowski, 28, of Peffer Avenue, filed the suit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, seeking more than $2 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Charges originally filed against him were dropped.

Kijowski said he was attending a wedding reception at Aulizio’s Oct. 28, 2006, when Reuben Shaw, an off-duty Warren police officer, and several guests got into an altercation outside of the banquet hall. Shaw called for help from on-duty Warren police officers.

The lawsuit said Kijowski was not involved in the original altercation, but he entered a vehicle with the groom, who had been involved in the altercation, before the on-duty police officers arrived.

When they did arrive, officers sprayed Mace into the crowd and used “excessive force, including the use of clubs, stun guns or tasers and other such violent measures,” the suit said.

For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.