Police Brutally Beat Mentally Ill California Man in Released Video

[Hissyspit]

Source: OCWeekly / Raw Story

Police brutally beat mentally ill California man in released video

By Stephen C. Webster
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 10:20 EDT

Video revealing the circumstances of how a mentally ill homeless man in Fullerton, Calif. died last July was finally published Monday, revealing a stunningly brutal police assault that left Kelly Thomas bleeding, broken and near death.

In the video, one of the officers can be heard telling Thomas, who was schizophrenic, “See my fists? They’re getting ready to start fucking you up.” When he doesn’t immediately comply and instead stands up, another officer charges in and hits him with a baton, and a scuffle ensues.

For the next approximately eight minutes, Thomas is pinned by the two officers, then up to as many as four more arrive and pile on. As Thomas pleads for mercy and complains that he cannot breathe, he’s tased and punched repeatedly. The treatment continues until Thomas’s cries morph into inaudible grunts and moans.

He was comatose after the beating, and died five days later after being taken off life support. Needless to say, the video is not for the faint of heart.


Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/08/mentally-ill-california-man-brutally-beaten-by-police-in-released-video/

[truebrit71]

1. Wow...that's a whole bunch of "bad apples"...

...it's almost like there's a trend or something....

[villager]

13. It's the "good apples" who are the exceptions.

n/t

[truedelphi]

2. So very sad. What can anylne do to chnge the world

When the people in charge have no training regarding the mentally ill?
And they have hearts of stone?

[KansDem]

3. Isn't it time for a "Stand Your Ground" law to stop these murderous bastards? (graphic)

Why should I stand pacifically and allow rogue cops to beat me to death? Shouldn't I be permitted to defend myself?


To protect and serve...

[polly7]

11. I just wanted to be sure a picture of him before was here, too

... he could have been anyone's son, brother, uncle ... friend.

[redqueen]

23. Thank you.

God this is heartbreaking.

[Judi Lynn]

25. Thank you for posting the photo taken before the police killed him. n/t

[KansDem]

26. "Dad"

... he could have been anyone's son, brother, uncle ... friend.

That makes this particularly poignant--

The incident

On July 5, 2011, at about 8:30 PM, officers of the Fullerton Police Department responded to a call of someone vandalizing cars near the Fullerton Transportation Center. While investigating, they encountered the shirtless and disheveled Thomas and attempted to search him. According to statements given by the officers, Thomas was uncooperative and resisted when they attempted to search him, so backup was called. The officers then repeatedly shocked Thomas with Tasers, beat him with the butts of the Tasers and flashlights, and slammed him into the ground.[10] A video of the event surfaced, and Thomas can be heard repeatedly screaming in pain while officers tasered him (up to five times according to a witness statement) in the video, and screaming "Dad! Dad!".[11] Six officers were involved in subduing Thomas, who was unarmed and had a history of mental illness. Thomas was initially taken to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton but was transferred immediately to the UC Irvine Medical Center with severe injuries to his head, face, and neck.[12]

Orange County district attorney Tony Rackauckas gave a detailed account of the events during a press conference on September 21, 2011. Using digital audio recording devices carried by the officers, surveillance video from a pole camera at the Fullerton Transportation Center, and other evidence, Rackauckas provided evidence that Thomas did comply with orders from Officer Ramos, who had put on latex gloves and asked Thomas "Now see my fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up."[13] Rackauckas went on to describe how Thomas begged for his life, before being beaten to death.[14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Kelly_Thomas

[Ecumenist]

35. What a beautiful, beautiful man and look what those monsters did to him! I know that it isn't

universally accepted here on DU but if ever someone has deserved the death penalty, those two fuckers do! Bless his heart!

[abolugi]

12. NO WORDS!!!!!

just tears....

[hifiguy]

15. The cold dead eyes are a total giveaway as to

what kind of people these "officers" are. Neither one of these fuckwads should ever see the outside of a prison again.

[tblue37]

20. Can they really be called "rogue" cops when such brutality seems to be

"not a bug but a feature"?

[Judi Lynn]

4. He was completely alone. No one to rescue him from these defenders of the peace. n/t

[polly7]

5. I can't even imagine what his father must have felt knowing his

son was calling out to him. I couldn't get through beyond the first few minutes, it's one of the most heartbreaking videos I've ever seen.

[truebrit71]

8. That's the part that got me too...

...murderous fucking scumbags..

[freshwest]

6. The other target of such people is the developmentally disabled.

The schools and neighborhoods have plenty of bullies to beat them up, too. And then they wonder why they 'go off.'

Personally, I'd run if anyone who looked like those cops got close to me, but a person of diminished capacity from DD or mental health issues is not usually mindful enough of their surroundings and the danger they may face.

They are easy targets for those who want to eliminate them from the gene pool.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Fucking disgraceful!

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[EFerrari]

9. I can't watch another video of someone begging the police for their life.

Motherf#ckers.

[xtraxritical]

10. It's time for a full on revolution in this country, fuck occupy.

[hifiguy]

14. "To protect and serve," my ass.

The only thing cops "protect and serve" is the interests of the moneyed classes. Everyone else is fair game.

Its the 90% of cops that give the other 10% a bad name.

[frylock]

16. fuck tha police

[Smilo]

17. I couldn't bring myself to watch the video

..... but seeing the pictures I am crying to think that this poor man had his life brutally ended by some thugs who happen to wear a uniform.

Where is the justice for people such as Kelly?

[pacalo]

30. I finally broke down & watched half of it. It's even worse than you can imagine.

The police had the mentality of a pack of sixth graders who found an insect & stomped it over & over for the heck of it.

The guy had a slight build & wasn't fighting back. He wouldn't have been able to fight back if he wanted to, because each officer was stocky (like the sadistic prison guard in "Midnight Express&quot .

When it came to the part where the homeless man began calling, "Help me, Dad!", over & over, that was it for me.

[Dawson Leery]

18. F*** them and the FOP!

"Pigs only squeal after they are caught."

[YvonneCa]

19. Kelly Thomas' story is horrible, but what doesn't get enough coverage...

...IMO is how this was reported. People on a nearby bus witnessed it, told the driver so it was reported. Then they SHOWED UP at every hearing and city council meeting demanding that people responsible were held accountable. Local media DID THEIR JOB and reported actual news of every hearing, meeting and protest by Fullerton citizens. IMO, that's what citizenship requires of all of us.

Edited because I forgot the link. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/02/local/la-me-0803-fullerton-death-20110803

My condolences to Kelly's whole family.

[Smilo]

22. Thank you for posting and giving insight.

I also send condolences to Kelly's family and friends.

[YvonneCa]

24. You are very welcome! n/t

[pacalo]

31. Thanks for the link. Be sure to check out the pictures, which includes several of

Kelly Thomas' father, Ron, a retired sheriff's deputy. The good & bad characters could have come from a movie.

It's incredible that only two officers out of six were charged. Every officer involved should have been locked up.

[bupkus]

21. You know what's going to happen to those cops?

Nothing.

Nothing is going to happen to them.

America the beautiful.

"A drab of state, a cloth-o-silver slut, To have her train borne up, and her soul trail in the dirt"
- Henry David Thoreau

[go west young man]

27. There's not much difference between the cops and the bad guys these days.

They both roam in packs, do what they want, inflict pain and misery on innocent people, and usually get away with their crimes. The country has gone to shite. The police force we have is now being made up of vets returning from two ridiculous wars who will apply their combat training at home. Taser deaths are increasing, police beatings and shootings are increasing, violations of civil rights are increasing. America needs to wake up before it's too late. Two things cops have down pat. 1) sitting in their car generating revenue with speeding tickets, 2) being power tripping assholes.

[Downtown Hound]

28. Hmmm... yet a few more bad apples

There sure seems to be a lot of those in the police.

[AsahinaKimi]

29. I guess the idea of being executed

without a trial, judge and jury is fast becoming a trend. This is where the Republicans want to take us...

[Prometheus Bound]

32. Man that fills me with a terrible combination of hate and sorrow.

An eye for an eye seems appropriate.

[U4ikLefty]

33. This is one of the reasons we Occupy.

This type of brutality is not as rare as one may think.

Talk to the immigrant or homeless communities and you'll hear some fucked up stories.

Their cries also go unheard.

This made me upset all over again...he's crying for his dad. God help us!!!

[Odin2005]

34. There are no words!