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Manhattan police accused of favoritism
by Dan Bialek
A woman involved in a domestic violence dispute with her ex-fiancé has spurred an internal investigation into whether police officers gave the man preferential treatment in exchange for tickets to a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Wendy Newton, 35, filed a complaint with the Manhattan Beach Police Department on Nov. 16 regarding police officers’ actions after they responded to a May 29 domestic violence call.
Newton claims that her boyfriend, Gary Vitti, an athletic trainer for the Lakers, was not arrested because of his job and the fact that he often gave away tickets to Manhattan officers.
Carl A. "Tony" Capozzola, Vitti’s lawyer, said that his client did nothing wrong and that Newton’s claims were unfounded.
"Mr. Vitti did absolutely nothing wrong. Ms. Newton is a vindictive person who contacted the press to promote her own devious chicanery in an attempt to smear my client and the Manhattan Beach Police Department," Capozzola said.
Manhattan Police Chief Ernest Klevesahl said that the department was in the process of conducting an administrative investigation concerning the matter and that Newton would be contacted when it was completed.
In her complaint, Newton questioned why the police did not arrest her fiancé, whom she claimed choked her during a dispute in their 13th Street home on May 29.
In an interview with the Daily Breeze, Newton said that her ex-boyfriend received special treatment from police because he was a sports trainer for the Lakers and had given tickets to officers in the department.
She also alleged that Vitti used his influence to get out of a May 4 speeding ticket.
Klevesahl declined to comment on that allegation, saying it was under investigation.
In the Daily Breeze’s article, Newton is quoted as saying, "Gary told me that he was going to give (the detective) some of his upstairs seats at the Staples Center to get out of the ticket. He called it ‘juice’ and bragged about how he could use it and that he would often give tickets to the police."
According to court records, Vitti paid the $136 ticket on May 23, but a judge dismissed the ticket on June 27.
Newton told the Daily Breeze that Vitti gave a Manhattan police detective game tickets in exchange for advice on how to beat the ticket. She said that the detective told Vitti to pay the fine, contest the ticket, and that the citing officer would not show up in court, forcing the judge to dismiss the case.
The police department said that it will complete its investigation within the coming weeks. ER