ACLU seeks suspension of police officer seen kicking suspect in head

[JonLP24]

Source: LA Times

The ACLU of Southern California called for the immediate suspension of the El Monte police officer who was seen on videotape kicking a suspect who was prone on the ground and then high-fiving a fellow officer.

Video from KTTV Channel 11 News and KNBC-TV Channel 4 News shows the incident at the end of a car chase that wound through the San Gabriel Valley, ending in a collision in Pico Rivera. The suspect, whom authorities later identified as 23-year-old Richard Rodriguez of El Monte, jumped out of his car and ran.

He eventually stopped and dropped to the ground on his stomach, with his hands flat to the ground above his head. The officer ran up to Rodriguez and kicked him on the side of the head.

The ACLU also urged the Los Angeles County district attorney's office to conduct a swift criminal investigation into the officer's actions.

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/05/the-aclu-of-southern-california-is-calling-for-the-immediate-suspension-of-the-el-monte-police-officer-who-was-caught-on-vide.html

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Video:http://itn.co.uk/431c04dafabf2630bbba40ee817b768a.html
Youtube video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tyellNfdPE

[saigon68]

1. The officer was KICKING some sense into his head </sarcasm>

Edited forgot the sarcasm tag

[JonLP24]

2. You don't kick suspects that have surrendered.

[saigon68]

3. OOPS forgot the sarcasm Tag

[WriteDown]

4. I agree...

but did you actually watch the chase? Its nuts. I don't know if I could have been as restrained as the officer.

[saigon68]

8. Going to check it now -------nasty chase--nasty end of chase

He eventually stopped and dropped to the ground on his stomach, with his hands flat to the ground above his head. The officer ran up to Rodriguez and kicked him on the side of the head.

That officer appears to high-five another officer after the suspect was handcuffed.

Lots of love in the comments section

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/05/the-aclu-of-southern-california-is-calling-for-the-immediate-suspension-of-the-el-monte-police-officer-who-was-caught-on-vide.html

Wow I can't believe some of the irresponsible comments here. I hope people aren’t teaching their kids that police brutality is alright. The ACLU is watching out for us, and that us doesn’t matter if you are black, gay, Chinese a Klan member or a criminal. Everyone should have due process and not get their face kicked for no better reason than vengeance. The LAPD needs to get there (expletive) together.

Rusty, I'm glad the ACLU is around so cops don't turn into people like you.

And LeeAnn, police officers are trained to be able to handle the stresses and pressure associated with being an officer. So if every so often you need to kick a Mexican in the head to relieve some stress, find another occupation.

[JonLP24]

9. It certainly was reckless what the suspect did

But he will have his day in court. What the officer did was completely unnecessary.

[Iggo]

12. You don't think you could've resisted...

....kicking a guy in the head who is laying face down on the ground and not fighting you?

Really?

[JonLP24]

13. Notice how he says

as restrained as the officer.

Makes me wonder what the poster would've done. Body Slams? Strangulation? :shrug:

[WriteDown]

18. After a long, dangerous police chase with a ton

of adrenaline pumping through you I can understand the officers actions. Suspension without pay seems to be the appropriate action.

[JonLP24]

19. Not good enough.

Not after CRASH. Police in LA need to be held to high standards especially after CRASH.

[Iowa]

32. No... there is this thing called "professionalism"....

Maybe you have heard of it. Being a professional involves doing things you don't want to do, self-restraint, adhering to ethical standards - things like that. It's what keeps knuckle-draggers out of positions of authority and responsibility, because they will cause harm in such positions.

There are plenty of other jobs for rather slow-witted, overemotional, knuckle-draggers who have (to use your word) "adrenaline" issues. What this turd did is sufficient to demonstrate that he is unfit for a position of responsibility or authority. He simply can't cut it. He doesn't have what it takes.

Nobody who has ever been a professional would excuse this cop's behavior.

[No Elephants]

35. Um, supposedly they're trained to know that is against the law and also trained to

control their adrenaline rushes, let alone their glee at putting a surrendered perp in danger of brain damage and death.

Nothing like defending that.

[hatrack]

20. Then it's a good thing you're not a cop.

That's why tax money pays for training police - so they don't do things like kick people in the head after they've surrendered, chase or not, adrenaline or not.

We PAY them not to kick people who've surrendered in the head.

[No Elephants]

34. Then please don't consider a career in law enforcement. We already have too much irony in that area

[JonLP24]

5. Sorry. It is so hard to tell thru plain text

:hi:

[saigon68]

7. My fault

Too much going on today :-) :-)

[Zhade]

27. I'm currently arguing with someone at work who thinks people who run from the cops should be shot.

Period.

"We have too many rights" was one of his comments.

Fucking. Terrifying.

[Fresh_Start]

6. they should be seeking prosecution not just suspension nt

nt

[PopYoColla]

10. ****in' bad cops

In the video at the 0:50 sec mark, the K-9 cop that runs in, makes his dog bite the guy. Man, they all should get fired. At least he'll get a fat lawsuit out of it after he gets out of jail.

[Iggo]

11. Suspension? How about incarceration?

That's what's supposed to happen when you kick someone in the head.

[Skip Intro]

14. Not sidinig with the cop for the kick, but I feel no sympathy for the criminal.

Seems silly to call him a suspect at this point - he clearly led police on a chase, and endangered the lives of a lot of people - himself, citizens in his path, and the officers themselves. He's got a long criminal record. The officer crossed the line by kicking him, but I'm glad the guy's off the street and in jail where he belongs.

[JonLP24]

16. As long as the cop goes to jail as well

Clearly he is a criminal as well.

[JonLP24]

17. What long criminal record do you speak of?

In 2006, Rodriguez was convicted in of possession of a switch blade, fleeing from an officer and driving without owner's consent, according to court records. In 2007, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_12365139

These are minor offenses.
Meanwhile the arresting officer committed a violent act.

[Skip Intro]

24. "Lenghty criminal record" and "known gang memeber" - KTLA.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/05/the-aclu-of-southern-california-is-calling-for-the-immediate-suspension-of-the-el-monte-police-officer-who-was-caught-on-vide.html

I'm not defending the officer kicking the guy, he crossed a line. But the "suspect" who had just endangered the lives of who knows how many innocent men, women and children by leading police on a 40 minute chase surely deserved to be arrested. The officer shouldn't have kicked him, and that should be investigated, but do I feel sorry for the "suspect" in this incident? Not at all. A lot of people could have been seriously injured or killed because of his actions.

[JonLP24]

25. Those are buzz words

I actually posted his court records which show minor offenses.

The only one with injuries is the "suspect" inflicted by the "cop"

[Skip Intro]

26. Wow.

It almost sounds like you are defending the criminal actions of this guy.

Does that mean I can get drunk and drive like crazy all over the highway and it is ok, I'm not guilty of endangering anybody if I don't actually hit anyone?

A 40 minute chase he led cops on, and he didn't endanger anybody? What about the rights of the innocent pedestrians and motorists he put in harm's way? Who stands up for them?

What about the person(s) in the SUV he hit? What about their condition, their rights?

And I don't know if that's the guy's complete police record or not - certainly not as complete as it will be when he faces trial for the actions we are discussing.

I'm not gonna feel sorry for the guy. I'm glad he was caught. I'm glad he's in jail.

[JonLP24]

30. Most of that has nothing to do with what I said

I posted actual facts while you posted a phrase journalist wrote with no facts. I sure understand it, go to jail or try to get away but not defending it. Hell he may have been trying to avoid an ass beating that he surely got. Cops in LA are not to be trusted. They are notorious for this stuff. There is evidence and he'll go to jail, but will that solve anything in the long run? He's not going away for life, nobody will hire him. And if he is a "known" gang member he will be in segregration w/ fellow members being influenced and learning how to be a better criminal or he'll be attacked or maybe even killed. Felony evasion he'll serve sometime for sure, prison is not a nice place by any accounts from people I know that served time and he'll surely be f'd up in the head. So he'll come back, no good job will hire him so what will he supposed to do? Go back to jail is everyone's solution which will likely to happen again.

But forget all that, this "cop" will probaly stay on the force even though he committed felony assault. Cops can get away with almost anything in LA.

on edit: I haven't seen the complete 40 minute video but at the end he crashed into a park car.

[Zhade]

29. No one's asking for you to feel sorry for the guy. Why do you keep harping on that?

NT!

[SkyDaddy7]

15. The bottomline is...

Police Officers are suppose to be professionals! However, they have been allowed to get away with so much that they now feel as they can do whatever they want...And they can!!

Nothing will happen to this cop that will deter others from doing similar crap in the future.

[jemma]

21. Good for the ACLU

It looked to me like the cop kicked the guy hard enough to break his neck. And the guy was completely spread eagle on the ground in surrender.

This is what fascism looks like.

[TDoc]

22. Seriously...

It's pretty sad how a uniform and sense of authority could make a person think he could do things he normally doesn't to other fellow humans. It's not like he was a relative of a victim who got killed by the suspect or anything.

What's funny was the El Monte Police Chief who came out later to say he was happy the culprit was caught, but his face was priceless when he saw the footage for the first time.

I'm pretty sure cases like this occur on a daily basis. Unfortunately, other parts of the country don't have resourceful news media like Southern California.

This cool video kinda sums up every perspective in the story. You can see what people say from different sides.

[JonLP24]

23. Those injuries look brutal (long post, pictures better not to view all)

I was waiting for post #18 to ask me what CRASH is so I'll give a brief history. He proposed a suspension but we need to get these rogue cops off the force. This is LAPD

Among the most chilling revelations concern outright police murders or attempted murders. In 1996 CRASH officer Kulin Patel shot Juan Saldana when he was running down an apartment hallway. Patel and his partner then planted a gun on Saldana after he went down. When the CRASH supervisor, Sergeant Edward Ortiz, arrived, he delayed calling an ambulance so the officers could concoct a cover story. Saldana bled to death by the time he arrived at the hospital.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/mar2000/lapd-m13.shtml
:mad: :mad:

Also from link.
In another incident CRASH officers fired 10 rounds at Carlos Vertiz, a 44-year-old man with no criminal record, after they mistook him for a drug dealer. To justify the shooting, officers then planted a shotgun near the dying Vertiz which they claimed he had pointed at them.

In 1996 Perez and his partner Nino Durden shot 19-year-old Javier Ovando in the chest and head and then planted a gun on him. Ovando received a draconian 23-year prison sentence because he would not show contrition(meaning remorse for his crimes). In fact, he was innocent. Ovando was released last year, after serving two years. As a result of his injuries he is now confined to a wheelchair.
:mad: :mad:

Undercover L.A.P.D. officer Frank Lyga shot and killed off-duty L.A.P.D. officer Kevin Gaines in a case of apparent road rage. The shooting of a black officer -- Gaines -- by a white cop -- Lyga -- created a highly publicized police controversy. Lyga told FRONTLINE that Gaines threatened him with a gun and that he responded in self-defense, adding, "In my training experience this guy had 'I'm a gang member' written all over him." Investigators on the case discovered that Gaines had allegedly been involved in similar road rage incidents, threatening drivers and brandishing his gun. They also discovered troubling connections between Gaines and Death Row Records, a rap recording label owned by Marion "Suge" Knight that, investigators came to find, was hiring off-duty police officers as security guards.

--------------------------------

Robbers targeted a Los Angeles branch of Bank of America, making off with $722,000. Investigating officers were immediately suspicious of assistant bank manager Errolyn Romero, who had had more cash than was necessary delivered just ten minutes before the robbery. One month later Romero confessed to her role in the crime and implicated her boyfriend, L.A.P.D. officer David Mack, as the mastermind. A former track star, Mack was arrested and later convicted of the bank robbery. He was sentenced to 14 years and three months in federal prison. He has refused to reveal the whereabouts of the money, and while in prison has reportedly associated himself with the Mob Piru Bloods, a gang with ties to Death Row Records. Detectives investigating Mack discovered that two days after the robbery, Mack and two other police officers -- including a former partner, Rafael Perez -- spent the weekend gambling in Las Vegas, spending thousands of dollars.

----------------------------------------------

L.A.P.D. Officer Brian Hewitt, a member of L.A.P.D.'s elite anti--gang unit CRASH in the Rampart division, brought 18th Street gang member Ismael Jimenez to the Rampart police station for questioning. Hewitt allegedly beat the hand-cuffed Jimenez in the chest and stomach, causing him to vomit blood. After being released, Jimenez went to the hospital, where officials notified the L.A.P.D. of his injuries and complaints. Subsequent internal investigations resulted in the firing of Hewitt and another officer, Ethan Cohan, who, the Department determined, knew about but failed to report the beating. Jimenez, who was awarded $231,000 in a civil settlement with the city, is currently in federal custody pending a multiple count indictment for the distribution of drugs and conspiracy to commit murder.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Officials in the L.A.P.D. property room discovered that six pounds of cocaine evidence are missing. Within a week, detectives focused their investigation on L.A.P.D. officer Rafael Perez, a member of the Rampart CRASH unit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

After serving three years of his five-year sentence, Rafael Perez was released from prison and placed on parole. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry ruled that due to safety concerns, Perez could serve his parole outside the state of California.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/lapd/scandal/cron.html
Three years for murder!! Coverup!! This is actually misrespresenting what I'm doing if it wasn't largely for him most of this wouldn't of been exposed and he did strike a plea deal.


Very extensive information here.
http://www.truthinjustice.org/20001001mag-lapd.html

Also some memorable pictures.





A Riverside police officer looks into the car in which Tyisha Miller was killed on Dec. 28, 1998. Four Riverside officers involved in the fatal shooting of Miller, who had passed out in her car with a gun in her lap, were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by state and federal prosecutors.


How can you forget this one? All this hardly scratches the surface of a serious problem in Southern California.

Nice video btw.

edited to add
Nearly 100 convictions were overturned due to the coverups by CRASH

[No Elephants]

36. It's also pretty sad--and annoying to me--that anyone posting at DU defends the brutality. I

wish those posters would go to a board that fits their ideas.

[Zhade]

28. Good. He'd surrendered. Cops aren't above the law.

NT!

[Zhade]

31. dupe

dupe

[DU GrovelBot]

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