“Police: Man Arrested For Kicking Heinz Field Barriers, Trying To Bribe Officers,” CBS-Pittsburgh reports:
While at the hospital, Sapp allegedly tried to bribe officers to let him go.
According to the criminal complaint, Sapp stated, “Listen, I know how this works. How much money will it take to make this go away and to let me go home today?”
The officers informed Sapp that he could not attempt to bribe them, but Sapp continued.
“Look, I am an IRS agent and I can help you in other ways if you let me go home and make this go away.”
After being treated at the hospital, Sapp was transported to the Allegheny County Jail and was being held on $10,000 bond.
Sapp is facing a list of charges including, aggravated assault, defiant trespass, resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person and bribery.
That detail about the heckler claiming to be an IRS agent and allegedly bribing the authorities was buried 15 paragraphs into the story, which someone at the Drudge Report picked up, resulting in its being nationally featured. Crosstown ABC affiliate WTAE confirms Sapp’s employment status:
“I can confirm that the individual in the report is an IRS employee (currently furloughed) at the IRS office in Pittsburgh. I can also note that IRS employees are held to a high ethical standard of behavior*; the outcome of any legal action may have an effect on employment status,” spokeswoman Jennifer Jenkins said in an email.
But shouldn’t the CBS affiliate have put the suspect’s place of employment into the lede and then worked backwards? I’m going to write this one off as journalistic incompetence, but there do seem to be all sorts of buried tidbits in the news over the past few days, eh?
* C’mon, stop laughing. No, really.
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