Another police beating has only been proven by a lucky videotape, linked below. John Heaney was charged with assault on a police officer and criminal mischief until a video showed that Denver police detective beat him outside Coors field.
Heaney was on his way on his bike to visit his terminally-ill mother at a nursing home when he ran a red-light. Not knowing that the men were undercover detectives, he got into a verbal exchange with the detectives and says that he knocked the Colorado Rockies hat off the head of Det. Michael Cordova. It went from the mundane to the medieval at that point.
Three officers proceeded to pummel Heaney, causing facial, neck, and shoulder injuries. The video shows them throwing him to the ground and Cordova pulling his head back by his hair and slamming it into the cement — breaking his teeth.
TV producer Greg Prinkey witnessed the whole attack . “He was not resisting. It was totally uncalled for.”
When Prinkey saw men beating Heaney, he ran in to stop the fight. The officers then yelled, “Hey, we’re cops! Get the (expletive) out of here!”
Prinkey correctly notes that “Had I not been rolling the camera, and no one else was rolling the camera, it might have just been swept under the rug.” Indeed, like many such police abuse cases, the officers charged the man with assaulting them — in this case producing a pair of broken sunglasses from one officer as evidence.
Officers Cordova and James Costigan both denied under oath knowing anything about the broken teeth and denied slamming his head into the cement. Cordova testified, “I have not a clue.” That is an understatement.
For the video, click here
For the full story, click here.
Which just goes to show that it is simply business as usual for the police to lie unless someone gets them on video. Each time there’s been a video of a police beating, the police lied first claiming nothing happened until the video showed otherwise.
When are the courts going to start believing the more credible public in these cases and not those so deeply entangled in a “brotherhood” of silence, akin to the mafia that they routinely lie unless caught on camera?
Just one more example of local police being caught going over the limit. These guys should be fired and then prosecuted for assault and for perjury. How many of these cops gone wild tapes have we seen this year? Far too many.
I’m sure the assault itself wasn’t more than some cops with anger control (and truthfulness) issues, but I had a dark thought when I saw the footage when it broke.
Denver National Convention and political protesters.
“Resisting arrest” has long been used to justify beating up protesters. It’s something every protester will be aware of. And here, weeks before the convention, is this story.
As I said I’m sure the cops weren’t thinking of this. I’m sure they weren’t thinking about how every single case they’ve been involved with is now in question — if they perjured themselves about something they did in front of Coors Field, what should we believe they never lied about a drug buy out of the public’s eye? Too bad most of those cases ended up in plea bargains where the defendant gave up the right to appeal and they can’t raise a very legitimate question now. (AFAIK)
But the police and city leadership? I know, they can’t speak to this case until after the investigation has been completed, esp. when people are calling for dismissal and criminal prosecution. But they could have been much more vocal about how that behavior is.not.tolerated. and reassured convention goers. Or the media could have given that more coverage, if they have made those statements.
The only people more dishonest than the mob are the cops.
If they were running some undercover operation and not identifiable as cops, why bother messing with a cyclist who runs a red light? Makes no sense to me.
Citizens will have to start arming themselves with cameras and expose this abuse of power and use our constitutional rights to protect ourselves from this gestapo-like harassment.
Also, only one person tried to intervene but backed off after he heard they were cops, every one else just watched????
Not a tear will be shed by any of thee
Upon the demise of the corrupted yee
Those who live by the sword
Shall die by the sword
There is a special place in hell
For those in power who abuse it
And lie about it later
Enjoy the future boys….