The video below shows police officers pummeling a man found drunk and shirtless in a Jewish youth center in Brooklyn. The video shows slight resistance to being cuffed — followed by a virtual beat down by the officer, including one officer who appears to assume a boxing stance. The man has been identified by one site as Ehud Halevi.
The Institute in Crown Heights reported the man after a private guard discovered the man. The man was sleeping when police arrived. The push on the officer certainly constitutes resistance but the level of response clearly seems excessive and continues for a prolonged period.
Eventually eight police officers arrive and handcuff Halevi, who was charged with assaulting a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and harassment. Do you view the resistance shown by Halevi to constitute assault on an officer — the most serious charge?
Source: NY Post
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/2-officers-being-investigated-after-video-shows-them-beating-man/
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-10-15/news/34478182_1_brooklyn-synagogue-city-cops-crown-heights
“Volunteer security guard Zlamy Trappler called the cops after he had an argument with Halevy. The shirtless man was snoozing on a couch in the back room of the synagogue, where troubled youngsters are allowed to stay sometimes, sources said.
Police claimed Halevy refused to leave the women’s section of the center, but Aliya director Rabbi Moishe Feiglin said that wasn’t the case.
He said Halevy has been allowed to stay at the center for about a month and the initial dispute was about his not wearing pants. Trappler wasn’t authorized to call 911, the rabbi added.
The rabbi said Halevy “didn’t appreciate” being awakened. “It turned confrontational.”
“I have a right to stay here,” Halevy told Trappler, according to the criminal complaint.
“If you’re going to arrest me, I’m going to punch you,” he said, the document states.
He was charged with assault, trespass, marijuana possession and other counts. He was released on a $1,500 bail last week but his whereabouts were not known Monday.
Vega claimed he suffered a sprained wrist, bruising and swelling, according to court records, though it didn’t appear he was struck during the taped beatdown.
“This is clear and convincing evidence of police brutality,” Assemblyman Dov Hikind said. “We don’t want anything like this ever happening again to our community.””
Malisha, you are right about video cameras. The fact is though, they don’t CARE. They know nothing is going to happen to them (except perhaps a promotion).
Nice beatdown good thing it wasn’t in a other country they would of killed him plus he was drunk to even try to fight the police at least stand a chance if your going to challenge them(1:14-1:20)
To Balanced from Fairly Balanced. A taser is a deadly weapon. It kills. The a holes who employ it will get the drift when the lawsuits over the dead guys start coming down on them. After you take the tasering cop’s deposition and he says the taser is not deadly and that they use it on each other at the station for fun, you then subpoena his mother in for depostion and ask the Chief to tase badcops mom during the video depo. NOOO! they say.