There is a public outcry over the video below showing St. Louis City police officer Dustin Ries beating a man with his baton outside of a St. Louis gas station. The police officer insisted that the man was drunk and unruly but the officer seems to use his baton immediately after grabbing the man and then pepper sprays him after striking him repeatedly.
This video was shot on a cell phone about 2:30 on New Years Day morning. An unnamed witness states that the man had told the officer to shut up and the officer proceeded to beat him without provocation. However, the gasoline station owner Joel Platke supports the officer.
The department is investigating but called the video “extremely disturbing.” This could obviously lead to a civil tort action for battery as well as criminal charges against the officer.
Reis has reportedly been named in two prior excessive force lawsuits.
While the angle of the video does not offer a full view, my review of video suggests excessive force was used. What do you think?
Source: Reddit
Jonathan Turley
BBB,
In regard to video of Seattle Police kicking the suspect while he’s on floor, even in face!
Yes, unbelievable is an appropriate word to describe that interview.
Here’s one that I didn’t know about.
Watch the interview with the President of the Seattle Police Guild. “Unbelievable” is the appropriate word.
http://www.nwcn.com/news/Kicking-video-doesnt-tell-whole-story-says-Seattle-PD-union-chief-109079289.html
I have been sitting here contemplating michellefrommadion’s reply to me above. Normally, I am not speechless, but dear Michelle, you have left me as speechless as Captain Picard.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNsrK6P9QvI&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0]
Lottakatz said:
“ChaZ, The video showed that he was pulled out of the car pretty easily by the cop even if he was refusing to do so, and wasn’t hit until he was on the ground. He wasn’t hard to get out of the car and that’s probably because he was pretty drunk.
What ever happened to working with people? The drunk guys buddies looked pretty passive, why couldn’t the cop have said to the effect ‘you guys need to get this guy up and into the back seat and drive him home, otherwise I’m going to have to f*** him up and he’s going to spend the night in jail’?”
First of all, the video does not show us what happened right before he got pulled out of the car, maybe his friends tried everything to get him out of it then asked the officer to take care of it. We will never know (unless we get more info from witnesses) if the guard did try to talk him out of the car.
And it does not matter if he pulled him out of the car that easily, it has more to do with his non-compliance. He refused to get out of the car, he refused to do what he told him to do. Since the video does not reveal much of his position while on ground, it is normal for us to use pepper spray or baton if the person is on the ground and refuses to turn over on his stomach.
We are trained NOT to ever approach anyone who is on his back on the ground when performing arrest. You can get grabbed, wrestled, punched, kicked, knifed or have your gun taken away from you. We are trained to make person turn over on their stomach first before we can do any arresting procedure.
If that person refuses to turn over on his stomach on the ground, then that guard/officer are entitled to use any force necessary to turn them over, be it taser, pepper spray, or baton.
What is the deal about you guys wondering why no one have said anything? Well, perhaps it’s because the person who was videotaping the whole incident was inside the car with windows closed. Wouldn’t that explain why the video device didn’t pick up sounds outside of the vehicle? Maybe they did say something but we’ll never know.
michellefrommadison, wow you are lots of talk, making a threat like that. Sure you will probably make him end up in the hospital but you will end up in prison for long time.
You are not alone in your current belief Otteray Scribe, there are many untrained and unprepared people out there like you that would not protect the victim. That officer would undoubtedly, imo, be in the hospital if I was there and witnessed his crimes.
michellefrommadison writes
“….I would undoubtedly have zero problems intervening in this illegal actions by that officer, and hope he doesn’t have to dealt (sic) with in a manner that would cause him some discomfort to himself or his family.”
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Michelle, you may have a big and brave heart, but your proposal under the circumstances will not only get you hurt, but probably charges of interference with an officer, obstruction, and assaulting an officer to boot. Not smart. The person with the video camera did the right thing. Keep taping and stay out of the way. By not bringing attention to himself he did not end up having his camera confiscated and charged with some bogus wiretap violation. The latter seems to be the charge du jour for officials who get caught doing something illegal.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008566,00.html
Ratlaw, I understand the fear of an unprepared person intervening in a potentially deadly conflict but with the right training and right skills, there is no need to be fearful, the fear will come only onto the target. I would undoubtedly have zero problems intervening in this illegal actions by that officer, and hope he doesn’t have to dealt with in a manner that would cause him some discomfort to himself or his family.
What a depraved monster.
First, what we need is federal law that protects citizens filming these Nazis (cops) in action.
Or else we need a website like Wikileaks to protect the names of those who submit these videos.
State and local law will not suffice. It is incumbant upon the Feds per Article 4 Section 4 (2nd clause) to protect the states from domestic violence (in this case violence BY government). The widespread abuse occuring all over the country by local cops is proof that this isn’t happening. The states are unable to address the problem mainly because cops (and cop unions) are too powerful and threatening of anyone who attempts to hold them accountable.
It’s time to turn the cameras on the cops and give them some of the justice they have denied others.
Michelle,
I would have probably intervened in some way and probably gotten myself in a quagmire of trouble. I tried to break up a fight between two young teen girls on the Woodstock Square some years ago and I got a torn shirt for my troubles. At least the fight was stopped.
Blouise,
I think you are right about your comments about the person taking the video. He seemed to be concerned that they might be found out. That alone is a sad commentary. And maybe the You tube exposure might be a successful way of bringing this felon under control. At least after the fact. It didn’t stop the victim from getting a beating that he didn’t deserve.
I would have intervened and stopped the officer from his unlawful actions, no doubt.
michellefrommadison,
I’m sure you are right.
I would have stuck around as a witness after calling 911 to report a beating taking place in the parking lot.
I don’t believe the you-tube video will be a valid part for any discipline against the officer since the video doesn’t reveal possible threats or negative actions by the suspect either prior or during the video that resulted in the filmed action.
On the other hand ( 🙂 ) , the Youtube posting is a cannon the security guard can’t silence with a nightstick or pepper-spray into submission.
I know if I was there and witnessed that abuse, more guns would be in the picture. (I liked that one-hand comment too Blouise). 🙂
michellefrommadison,
the lol was in relation to the One hand at a time comment
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The way the guy who was filming talked and the surreptitious nature of his filming indicates to me he didn’t want to be next on the security guards beat-down list.
michellefrommadison,
lol
Not sure why the guy filming from the car didn’t flash his headlights and blare on his horn. He may have had probable cause to run his car into or close to the officer too in order to interject and disrupt the unlawful beating.
the cop hits the guy on the ground eight times and nobody says or does anything and then the guy filming says “oh my god they pepper sprayed him”.
what no tasers in st louie
one hand at a time? 🙂
“How can a security guard(cop or non-cop) handcuff a suspect without the police being involved?” (rufflaw)
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That is my question.