Woman Dies after Genital Kick from LAPD Officer

LOS ANGELES--The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating at least five officers after one of them allegedly stomped on a woman's genitals and she later died of suffocation.

Patrol car video camera captured a struggle between police and Alesia Thomas and several officers on July 22, according to the Los Angeles Times.

LAPD Cmdr. Bob Green admitted to the Times that a female officer had followed through with a threat to kick Thomas in the genitals when she resisted being put into the patrol car. Video shows a restrained Thomas struggling to breath in the back of the patrol car. She was taken to a local hospital and later died.

Officers had been attempting to arrest Thomas on suspicion of child endangerment. After the woman resisted arrest, she was put into handcuffs and they placed a "hobble restraint device," or a binding strap binding, around her ankles. The original police report did not mention the kick to Thomas' genitals.

"I take all in-custody death investigations very seriously and directed the officers involved be removed from field duties until further details are known, including what part intoxicants and physical conditions contributed," a statement from LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said. "I am confident we will get to the truth no matter where that leads us."

Neighbor Gerald McCrary Sr., 55, told the Times that the woman was the aggressor, not the police.

"They were talking to her, asking her to calm down, that everything will be all right," he explained.

The investigation comes just one day after Beck reassigned the commanding officer of the department's Foothill Division after video showed two of his officers repeatedly body slamming a handcuffed 34-year-old nurse.

Watch this video from KTLA, broadcast Aug. 31, 2012.

Man accusing police of beating him unconscious will appear in court

DENVER — A man who says he is the victim of brutality by Denver police officers on New Year’s morning is expected to take the witness stand Wednesday.
 


Clay Rampone is fighting a disturbance ticket he was issued at It’s Brothers Bar in LoDo on New Year’s morning because he says he was beaten up by two officers while he was unconscious. A verdict on the ticket is expected by Wednesday afternoon.

According to Rampone, after leaving the bar, he attempted to re-enter in an effort get an expensive coat he had left — a coat that also held his cell phone and credit card.

Rampone said he was told by two police officers to wait outside while they got his coat for him. But after they offered to help, Rampone said the police did not proceed to get his jacket and ignored his further requests.

At that point, Rampone said he went to the bar’s bouncers and explained the situation. That explanation got heated and ended in a bouncer pushing Rampone. At which point, Rampone said, he shoved the bouncer back.

Eventually, Rampone said he gave up the effort to get his coat and was walking away from the bar. That’s when he said the police officers grabbed him from behind and threw him down a flight of stairs.

Rampone’s friends have said that even though Rampone was “clearly unconscious,” the second officer pinned him down and started slamming his head into the concrete sidewalk. A doctor told Rampone he had sustained a concussion as well as serious injuries to his head, ear, face and elbows.

The charges against Rampone include trespassing, resistance and interference, but his lawyer Maureen O’Brien says it clear to her he has done nothing wrong.

“You hear these stories about police brutality, and always think there’s some basis for it,” O’Brien said. “But in this case I don’t see any basis for it. It’s just ridiculous and total brutality.”

St. Paul Police To Address YouTube Arrest Video

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – St. Paul Police say they will address the content of a YouTube video showing an alleged incident of police brutality.

The video was recently posted to YouTube, and shows a man being arrested by an officer. [NOTE: Linked video contains explicit language and violence.]

At one point in the video, it appears that the officer kicks the man in the throat while he’s lying down on the sidewalk.

Later in the video, another officer arrives and the two are seen pulling the man’s hair and shoving the man face down onto the hood of the police cruiser.

(credit: Ramsey County Jail)

The man arrested in the video was identified in an incident report as 30-year-old Eric Hightower. He was arrested for terroristic threats, damage to property and obstruction of the legal process, according to the report. He has not been charged.

The incident report also lists the names of two St. Paul Police officers. It lists the primary reporting officer as Jesse Zilge and the secondary reporting officer as Steven Petron. Officer Zilge has been placed on administrative leave while the department investigates the incident.

St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith said the department learned about the incident about six hours ago. He said they have “serious concerns” about the officer’s use of force, as seen in the video. Smith is immediately calling for further investigation and for that investigation to be expedited. He said the department — and the public — have a right to know the full story.

An incident report states officers were sent to an address in St. Paul around 6 p.m., where they arrested Hightower at the corner of Woodbridge and Milford streets. Hightower was arrested for allegedly making threatening gestures towards a woman, obstructing the legal process and criminal damage to property. He is currently being held at the Ramsey County Jail.

Fullerton police kill suspect during chase

BELLFLOWER, Calif. -- Fullerton police shot and killed a driver Tuesday who led them on a chase through two counties and then tried to back into officers on a dead-end street, authorities said.

Police in the Orange County city noticed a car driving erratically and tried to stop the driver at about 2:40 a.m., said Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. David Coleman.

Instead, the car sped off. The chase led onto a freeway and about 10 miles west into Los Angeles County.

The driver headed through the communities of Lakewood and Bellflower, where he drove into a cul-de-sac, Coleman said.

In trying to escape, the driver hit a police car, drove forward to the dead end, then reversed and began backing at high speed toward officers who were in the street, Coleman said.

Several opened fire, hitting the man. He died at the scene. His name was not immediately released.

No officers were hurt, Coleman said.

Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives were handling the investigation.

Fullerton police have been under scrutiny since the death of a homeless, mentally ill man who was beaten during a confrontation last year. The death of Kelly Thomas sparked a political firestorm and led to criminal charges against two former officers.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/28/4763554/fullerton-police-kill-suspect.html#storylink=cpy

Brutal LAPD arrest caught on video

LOS ANGELES--The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating two officers who were allegedly caught on surveillance camera slamming a nurse on the ground twice — and then fist bumping afterward — during a recent traffic stop.

The two officers pulled over Michelle Jordan, 34, of Sunland, Aug. 21, for allegedly talking on her cell phone while driving in Tujunga, in northeast Los Angeles, the department said.

Jordan pulled into the parking lot of a Del Taco restaurant and got out of her car to confront the officers, cops said.

NBC News 4 Police say they pulled her over for allegedly using her cell phone while driving. It looks like a routine traffic stop, until Jordan gets out of her vehicle.

The taco joint's surveillance video appears to show the officers, both men, yanking the 5-foot-4 inch registered nurse from the open driver's seat and then slamming her on the ground to cuff her.

The duo then yank Jordan to her feet and bring her to the patrol car, where they pat her down.

Moments later, one of the cops slams the married mom to the ground a second time.

NBC News 4 Jordan sustained multiple scrapes.

After placing her in the cruiser's backseat, the two appear to share a celebratory fist-pound.

Jordan was booked for resisting arrest and later released.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement Tuesday that the video caused him "to have serious concerns about this use of force."

NBC News 4 Jordan is considering a lawsuit against the LAPD, reports say.

"We will investigate this thoroughly and hold our officers accountable for their actions," Beck said, according to KABC-TV.

The officers, whose names were not given, were placed on desk duty while the department investigated the alleged beatdown.

ABC News 7 Surveillance video from a Del Taco not far from where Michelle Jordan, 34, was stopped by police has prompted an internal investigation into how LAPD handled the arrest, which the woman says was unnecessarily rough.

One was said to be a 20-year-veteran of the force while the other was a probationary officer on the force for 10 months, according to local reports.

Jordan's lawyers said Jordan mouthed-off at the cops, but that her behavior didn't warrant the officers' goon squad-style takedown.

NBC News 4 Jordan displayed several wounds she said came from her treatment by two LAPD officers.

"We have a defenseless woman in a sun dress, two fully armed police officers with training and various restraining devices that they could have used, and instead they used nothing but brute force," one of her lawyers, Arthur Corona, told KABC.

Jordan was said to be weighing a lawsuit, according to local reports.

NBC News 4 Surveillance video from a Del Taco restaurant showed the cops slamming the woman on the ground twice during her arrest. 

March Against Brutality

OXNARD, CA - Members of a community group concerned about police brutality are calling for an independent complaint review board.

The group called "Todo Poder Al Pueblo" is trying to empower the community.

Activists claim police beat Robert Ramirez the night he died in June.

Police stand by their conduct that night.

They say they were called to the scene by a witnesses who thought Ramirez was going to overdose on Meth.

Toxicology reports are not yet complete.

Organizers of the march say they plan to rally against police brutality before attending the Oxnard City Council meeting in two weeks.

The march will begin at Plaza Park in Oxnard on September 11th at 6p.m.

Group members say they would also like to see less harassment and more funding for youth programs.

They say Oxnard is a small city with big programs.

Protesters gather outside of Saginaw Police Department, want answers in Milton Hall shooting investigation

SAGINAW, MI — Protesters gathered outside of the Saginaw Police Department, 612 Federal, Monday to demand answers from authorities regarding the shooting death of Milton Hall.

Saginaw resident Mike Carter protested outside of the police department a few weeks ago, when the officers involved in the shooting of 49-year-old Hall went back to desk-duty after a 30-day leave. Residents were demanding that the officers not work before the investigation is complete.

The U.S. Justice Department, Michigan Attorney General's office and Michigan State Police are conducting separate probes of the shooting.

Carter said since seeing the an amateur video of the shooting aired on CNN, which shows several Saginaw police officers firing at Hall, he feels it is even more necessary for citizens to be out demanding answers.

"We are concerned," he said as three cars drove by honking in support of the protest.

"If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then I don't know what the video was worth. We want to know what is taking so long.

"We, as a community, feel that police are not giving us answers. We want the names of the officers involved to be released. We want to know who they are," Carter said.

He said that since the shooting happened July 1, it has been a main topic of discussion in Saginaw.

"People are talking about this all over in the community. They're talking about it in barbershops, in their kitchens. We are peacefully protesting for some answers," he said.

Savarra Elamin, a Saginaw resident, said what happened to Hall is unjust.

"They wouldn't put a dog down the way they did him," Elamin said.

"We need names of the officers. What they did was unjust, and we want to be safe. We're a part of this community. If we can't trust the police, that's an issue. We should all be together in this community," she said.

Pastor Cirven Merrill of the Lifeline Coalition said that seeing the video gave members of the community more motivation to go protest.

"Seeing the video intensified our effort and allowed us to know that we're here for a just cause," he said.

"We were already fired up, and seeing that video let us know that we're doing the right thing. Now we are out here more enthusiastically."

Elamin said the video clarified things for residents.

"You can see in the video that (Hall) wasn't posing a threat. You can tell that there were a number of ways they could have non-lethally disarmed him.

"You can see that it was very wrong," Elamin said.

"What happened shouldn't have happened. We won't stop our efforts until we get answers."

Syracuse man awarded $1 million in police brutality case

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man has been awarded more than $1 million as a result of a police brutality claim against a State Trooper from more than a decade ago.

The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting a state judge awarded David Reynolds, 48, the money after an incident back in December 2001 that left him with serious injuries to the head and back. The newspaper reports Reynolds was pulled over by Trooper Thomas Connor in Wolcott in Wayne County during a traffic stop. And according to the report, Connor handcuffed Reynolds, then slammed his head into the back of his car eight or nine times.

The judge found that the trooper committed assault and battery and said State Police didn't investigate the police brutality complaint adequately.

Video: Michigan police shoot homeless man 46 times

Saginaw - Six Saginaw, Michigan police officers are under investigation after they shot a knife-wielding homeless man 46 times, killing him.

CNN reports that Saginaw police received a 911 call regarding 49-year-old Milton Hall, who was involved in a disagreement with a convenience store clerk on July 1. 

Half a dozen officers responded to the call, finding Hall pacing in the store's parking lot holding a knife. 

Hall, who reportedly suffers from serious mental illness, is heard shouting at officers on video shot by a bystander. 

"My name is Milton Hall, I just called 911," he yells. "My name is Milton, and I'm pissed off." 

A female officer can be heard ordering Hall to drop the knife. He refuses and stands his ground even as a menacing police dog is held just feet away from him. 

"Let him go," Hall dares the officers. "Let the motherfucking dog go." 

Officers do not set the dog on the agitated man. But moments later, Hall appears to take a few steps away from the officers, at which point they open fire on him with a barrage of dozens of bullets. Hall falls to the ground dead. 

RT estimates the number of shots fired at 46. 

The Huffington Post reports that all six officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. 

Hall's death marked the second police-related killing in the city of 51,000 this year. In March, a Michigan State Police trooper was shot in the neck and arm by a passenger in a car stopped in the city. The trooper returned fire, killing the assailant, 24-year-old Keontae Amerson. 

The Michigan State Police is investigating Hall's killing. 

Matthew Frey, a Republican running for Saginaw County prosecutor, told the Saginaw News that he will "review the case again" if the killing is ruled justifiable and he is elected this November. 

"I am extremely upset over what I saw," Frey said. 

Saginaw Police Chief Gerald Cliff told CNN that Hall was "known to be an assaultive person" who had a "long history" of conflict with local and county law enforcement. 

But Hall's mother questioned why the six officers acted the way they did. 

"I'm stunned that six human beings would stand in front of one human being and fire 46 shots," Jewell Hall told CNN. "I just don't understand that. It's a lot of pain in that because it only takes one shot, so the question is why?"

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/331403#ixzz25XfcNsfj

Excessive Force Or Race? Benjamin Crump Joins Police Brutality Probe In Ronald Weekley Jr. Case (VIDEO)

LOS ANGELES - Ronald Weekley Jr., the young skateboarder who was assaulted by LAPD officers in broad daylight, has hired Benjamin Crump, the attorney who represents the family of Trayvon Martin.

Weekley was arrested on Saturday afternoon with the accompanying beating captured on cell phone video by a witness. The clip shows four officers on top of the 20-year-old while he was face down on a lawn. One of the officers appeared to punch Weekley in the face during the struggle.

According to CBS News, Benjamin Crump was quoted during a news conference at Westminster Baptist Church in Venice, CA:

“You see on that video there were several people who witnessed what happened…Nobody said that Ronald Weekley Jr. did anything to attack the police.”

As reported by CBS News:

Crump questioned why police stopped Weekley in the first place.

“Was he stopped because he was on the wrong side of the road, or was he attacked because he was the wrong color?” Crump asked.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers saw Weekley at 6:25 p.m. Saturday skateboarding in traffic on Sunset Avenue in Venice, near Sixth Street, a violation of the vehicle code.

“Officers tried to stop and detain him, and there was a use of force,” LAPD spokesman Richard French said. “The suspect was arrested and booked for obstructing/resisting a police officer with force. Officers later found out that he had three outstanding warrants.”

French said the department was investigating allegations of excessive use of force, saying the arrest “will be thoroughly investigated and reviewed at all levels of the department.” He said the department was aware of the video of the arrest.

Weekley, who was released from jail Monday, says he suffered a broken nose, fractured cheekbone and concussion in the arrest. He denied that he was resisting arrest or made any effort to reach for an officer’s weapon.

Weekley is in good hands with Ben Crump, his exemplary work during the Trayvon case has become national news.

Photos: Police brutality march inspired by Kevin Ryberg, Amelia Nicol

DENVER - Approximately fifty people gathered last night at La Alma Park to protest against police aggression.

This is the latest in a string of anti-brutality rallies in recent months, though this march focused predominantly on the death of Kevin Ryberg, who was shot by police while in custody on July 31, and on political activist Amelia Nicol, who faced trial yesterday after months in prison.
Eric Verlo, a member of Occupy Colorado Springs, said the group organized the event to show solidarity and prove that citizens are not intimidated by the police.

"When you've got a police department like this that acts very heavy-handed, it deters a lot of people," Verlo said. "It scares a lot of people away. So it's about showing that we're not afraid and other people shouldn't be."




Protesters carried signs remarking on police corruption, greed and the Occupy Wall Street movement. The rally began on 13th and Mariposa and ended at Civic Center Park, where the protesters dispersed. Police officers followed the march on bicycles, while other officers wearing riot gear surrounded the area in squad cars. According to the Denver Police Department, officers arrested three protesters for misdemeanor jaywalking charges during the event.








Continue for more photos.

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Police Shoot and Kill Gladstone Man

OREGON - Gunfire late Tuesday night in Gladstone left a man dead on his front lawn after police shot him during a domestic disturbance.  They say 23-year-old Michael Evans was armed with a knife and tearing apart his house on West Fairfield Street.

Neighbors reported hearing between four and five shots.  The man's father says his son had some issues, but should not have been shot dead by police.

 

Officers Steve Mixson and Christopher Spore are on paid administrative leave, which is standard in officer-involved shooting investigations.  The Clackamas County Major Crimes Team is overseeing the investigation.

Cop kills angry dad after motorcyle accident

ANTHONY BARTKEWICZ

Monday, August 13, 2012

 

An off-duty Chicago police officer injured a 4-year-old girl with his motorcycle, and then shot and killed her outraged father.

Fraternal Order of Police Spokesman Pat Camden said the cop “fired in defense of his life,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The 43-year-old officer, an eight-year veteran of the force, intentionally ditched his motorcycle Saturday night in Maywood when he saw the little girl – identified by WLS-TV as Taniyah Middleton – suddenly run into his path.

The downed bike skidded down the street, slamming into the 4-year-old and her 18-year-old cousin John Passley, who had rushed to help her.

As the officer tried to help, her 26-year-old dad, Christopher Middleton, came out of a nearby restaurant.

Officials said he was visibly angry and shouting. After the officer identified himself as a cop, Middleton punched him in the face and continued to pummel him after he fell to the ground.
Passley allegedly joined in by kicking the officer.

“He was about to lose consciousness to people beating him,” Camden said.

The cop drew his gun and fired once at Middleton. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital later Saturday night, leaving behind a 6-year-old son and an unborn child as well as his daughter.

"Chris was a great father," Middleton's cousin, Mathis Hoskin, said. "He was always helpful, never mad - always happy with a smile on his face."

Taniyah spent the night in the hospital for contusions and abrasions, according to the Sun-Times. The officer suffered possible broken bones from the motorcycle accident, as well as contusions from the beating.

"Her face was skinned, skin on her face," Darrell Davis, Middleton's uncle, said. "She's in a lot of pain right now."

Maywood residents held a prayer vigil Sunday night.


Cops questioned Passley, and the Independent Police Review Authority is looking into the shooting.

FBI: Inmates in Mississippi riot upset over treatment

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — An FBI agent’s affidavit says a deadly riot at a Mississippi prison was started by inmates who were angry about what they considered poor food and medical care and disrespectful guards.

One guard was killed and 20 people were injured in the May 20 riot at the Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez. The prison, owned by Corrections Corp. of America, holds illegal immigrants.

An FBI affidavit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, says a Mexican group known as Paisas started the riot. The affidavit was part of a complaint charging one prisoner with rioting.

The complaint says Paisas was the most influential group in the prison, but it had gone through a leadership shake-up. It says the new leaders ordered underlings to disobey staff until their demands were met.