Prosecutors: No charges filed against Tucson police officer in Culinary Dropout incident

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The Tucson officer involved in a physical altercation in the parking lot of a Tucson restaurant last year will not be charged, Pima County persecutors announced on Wednesday, May 18.

The incident began when off-duty officer Robert Szelewski got into an argument with sisters Brittney Aloisi-Wiles and Nicole Whitted and their mother, Michelle Aloisi in the parking lot of Culinary Dropout on East Grant Road last November. Szelewski’s truck had entered the parking lot as the three women were walking to their car.

The argument soon turned physical, culminating in Szelewski physically restraining two of the women while the third used her phone to record video of the incident.

Aloisi-Wiles was later cited with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Both parties told KOLD News 13 the other was the aggressor.

Szelewski is an 18-year veteran of the force, and his file shows two prior “use of force” incidents.

“Based on discrepancies between what witnesses observed, as well as video evidence, there is not sufficient evidence to issue charges against Robert Szelewski,” Pima County Attorney’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy Dan South wrote in a letter to Tucson police chief Chad Kasmar.

Included in the investigation were over 100 files with surveillance video, body-worn camera video, interviews, a written statement from one of the women involved and photos.

The three women involved, Szelewski, Szelewski’s family and several witnesses were interviewed.

Prosecutors say one of the woman approached Szelewski in “an aggressive manner,” leading to the altercation.

“The facts do not support a substantial likelihood of conviction at trial,” South wrote. “A jury could easily find that (the woman who first approached the off-duty officer) used a threat of force first by rushing towards Szelewski to start the fight.”

Video from the incident can be seen below:

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