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
SAG = Screen Actors’ Guild.
It was a beat-down.
Here’s my question, though: Don’t the cops ever begin to realize that there are these video cameras everywhere they look? Jeesh! Clip after Clip after Clip after Clip these bozos go around beating and assaulting and victimizing and brutalizing folks and they don’t even pay their SAG dues. C’mon, man, what’s that about?
Elementary, my dear Watson.
P.S.- I wonder if the gloves had an “Everlast” label on the cuffs.
Why were the two cops wearing gloves when they entered the room unless they had an intent to beat the prisoner? What is the first thing you do when you come in from outdoors wearing gloves? You take off your gloves, of course. All the other cops who entered the room were not wearing gloves, just the two who beat the prisoner. They weren’t wearing jackets or hats, just gloves.
LK,
He could still be a cop though…..wink….
If the cop had been a bus driver he’d lose his job.
Aye vey. Ivy. Pigs gone wild. Law Enforcement Offenders 101. Send lawyers guns and money, Lord get me out of this!
Halevi was being evasive in trying to keep his hands from the officers. The only punches thrown were by the officers. Trespassing yes, objecting to handcuffs yes. Assault – yes, by the officers.
JT> “Do you view the resistance shown by Halevi to constitute assault on an officer ”
If if spitting or other such action can be construed as ‘assault’ then technically, I suppose one would have to say yes, since actual physical contact was made. HOWEVER, the LEOs were at no time in danger and appeared to be in control of the situation, so I would think that common sense (of which there is a notable lack in these situations) would say NO. But, given this is NYPD and the home of ‘stop and frisk’, I doubt very seriously common sense has anything to do with the situation.
“Do you view the resistance shown by Halevi to constitute assault on an officer — the most serious charge?”
No.
And what Darren said about controlling the situation.
Also, you describe the beat down as virtual, Prof. That looked like an actual beat down to me.
Let’s see he is drunk….in a synagogue….. 8 officers?????? Come on….. As we all know drunks are reasonable folks to deal with… The trespassing charge I understand…. The resisting…. Nah….it’s a specific intent crime….
Couple of comments.
First, it is more difficult to control someone who is partially clothed. It is harder to grab onto and hold them, especially if they are sweating. But this is of minor consequence here.
It is obvious to me the suspect took an aggressive stance and likely would have fought the officer. I didn’t note any sound available but the body language and the actions indicate this.
To me the first three punches until the man went into the couch were justified for threat and authority to arrest purposes. After he was on the couch, it went way too far. Not only this, but it was completely ineffective in securing the suspect. Beating a person does not put them into handcuffs.
During the entanglement on the couch, I kept wondering when someone was going to take charge of this guy. It wasn’t until the third officer arrived and swung the guy to the ground when the situation was finally under control. This should have been done from probably five seconds after the suspect landed on the couch.
The original male officer should probably take another Defensive Tactics class and learn a few things.
Nick mentiones the protecting the female officer element. While I agree it is uncertain if applicable here but I can verify that it does happen in police culture.
These officers, male and female should be charged with assault. It is the officers job to subdue the offender, not issue non-judicial punishment on the spot. Disgusting.
Dredd, i’m not saying the women cops are drama queens. I’m saying their male partners are big brother/paternalistic often times. I know a couple female cops and they don’t like that dynamic.
Drama queens in blue uniforms.
There is a dynamic that can be dangerous, that being male cops being protective of their female partners. I’m not saying it’s right. I’m not certain that’s in play here. But it could be a part of this incident.
Lol at the chubby lady cop with the knight stick.
“Assaulting” an officer? Unless pulling your hand away when an officer grabs it now constitutes “assaulting an officer,” then this is asinine. But would I be surprised if that’s the explanation that the department tries to give? Absolutely not.
I have a brother who is a police officer. I worry for him every day. We see many of these videos out of context. Is there office abuse of authority in our country, absolutely. However, my brother deserves to return home to his family at night unharmed.
When he comes into a situation such as this, there is no telling which direction it can go. We don’t know if this man is insane and sadistic, or a belligerent drunk. Officers typically don’t have the opportunity to do an instant replay on a situation that needs controlling.
In this scene, the man took an aggressive posture from the beginning. The officers, it appears to me needed the man in cuffs which is standard to neutralize the danger of the situation. Shock and awe may be the way to keep my brother safe in such a situation. This man was not mortally or permanently wounded. He was pummeled to the degree that it became clear to him that surrendering was his best option.
Perhaps you don’t agree with my police forgiveness in such scenarios. But have you evaluated the way in which you would act in the line of duty when an unknown danger exists and your primary goal is to return safely to your family while protecting and serving the public in a job that most of the rest of us would do?
There is clearly aggressive posturing and continued resistance even when it appears that he is overwhelmed. Its at about the 3:04 mark that I see assault, although the length of time that it took to subdue him is probably adequate to infer assault. Three cheers to the officers for going at it the old fashioned way, but they probably should have just applied a liberal dose of taser.