On Thursday, Pennsylvania State Police bodycam footage took center stage in a Westmoreland County magistrate’s courtroom, as a Pittsburgh-area man and his attorney pushed to have his misdemeanor charges thrown out. They argue troopers used excessive force during a search and arrest inside a Jeannette home tied to a deadly hit-and-run case.
The video, recorded while troopers executed a search warrant at the home in connection with the July 31, 2025, hit-and-run that killed 19-year-old Jayden Lynch, was played for the magistrate as part of the proceeding. James Grady remains charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, but his attorney says his injuries tell a very different story from the one the state is offering.
Attorney Says Footage Shows Grady Pinned And Badly Hurt
Grady’s lawyer, Devin O’Leary, told the magistrate that his client was asleep when officers “kicked his door in,” then was pinned and immediately arrested instead of being questioned. O’Leary said medical records show Grady later sought treatment for a fractured vertebra, six broken ribs, a lacerated liver, and contusions to his face and nose.
Those injury claims, and the fact that the bodycam footage was shown in court, were reported by CBS Pittsburgh. For Grady’s side, that combination of video and medical paperwork is the core of their excessive-force argument.
State Police Say Troopers Followed Procedure
A Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson told CBS Pittsburgh that Grady “did not comply with police commands” and that troopers made him put his hand behind his back so they could handcuff him. The spokesperson said Grady was not tased and “walked out of the home with the officers under his own power.”…