There is an ongoing controversy in Los Angeles where pharmacist Kim Nguyen, 27, has charged that she was picked up for no reason by police, handcuffed, sexually assaulted, and then thrown out of a moving police car. A video shows the scene as Nguyen is left bleeding on the road.
The officers were identified as David Shin and Jin Oh in a report from the LA Times.
Nguyen says that she was waiting with her friends for a taxi to take them home when LAPD pulled up and began asking them questions. Despite the fact that they were waiting for a taxi to take them home, the officers allegedly declared Nguyen to be intoxicated and put her in the car in handcuffs. The officer left her two male friends behind and they say that the officers refused to tell them where they were taking Nguyen. She says that one officer stayed in the backseat with her as the other drove down the road. She claims that the officer in the backseat groped her behind her thighs as well as her chest. She says that she was then thrown out of the moving car. A video shows her on the road as a squad car is seen speeding through the intersection.
Nguyen was left in a coma with a broken jaw and brain injuries. She spent two weeks in the hospital. She reportedly lost all of her teeth.
Police insisted that Kim “fell out” of the car but critics say that the video shows the car speeding through the intersection. Her lawyer, Arnoldo Casillas, charges “[t]he video shows that the statement that the police officers gave the paramedics is an unabashed, unequivocal lie.” He notes that, since she was handcuffed, she could not open the door herself. Kim adds that she could not have opened the door herself, because she was handcuffed.
However, why would the officer throw the woman handcuffed from the car when they knew that witnesses saw the arrest and the handcuffs would implicate them?
On the other hand, why arrest a woman who says that she is waiting for a taxi with friends?
It is a curious case to be sure and quite disturbing. The LAPD has made no further statement.
Nguyen is now suing the LAPD and discovery could prove very interesting given the sharp conflict in accounts.
Kudos: Michael Blott
No one can bend over and say: “Are you ok? Help is on the way.”
Shooting the cops would be too good for them. Battery acid enema.
Turley says: “However, why would the officer throw the woman handcuffed from the car when they knew that witnesses saw the arrest and the handcuffs would implicate them?”
I will ‘splain this for you. The LAPD officers threw her from the car because they KNOW that they WILL get away with the crime. They know no criminal charges will be filed against them because the LA government is every bit as corrupt as they are, and they are part of the same corrupt system. Yes, there will be a civil lawsuit and LA will quietly pay Ms. Nguyen enough money to make the case and her “go away.” But the officers won’t have to pay a dime, nor suffer any consequences whatsoever. In fact, promotions may even be in order here.
Are we getting it yet?
I have only the information from the LA news and the video and there is much more needed to draw conclusions. This is what I see.
The patrol having the woman in approaches the intersection faster than the 10 mph claimed. About 3/4 of the way from the intersection to the side of the screen the patrol car brakes as evidenced by the tail lights brightening. Another patrol car pulls on camera behind the original patrol car and stops, later blocking traffic with its overheads. Other backup cars arrive later.
The woman is lying on the ground on her back and displaying significant edema and some bleeding. She appears unconscious with occasional tics. On her right wrist is a silvery shiny bracelet. This is consistent with a handcuff but not conclusive from the video. Her left shoulder shows her arm is beneath her back. She appears to be tilting slightly toward her right side which is indicative, though not certain, that her right arm is completely beneath her back. There is what appears to be an article of clothing tied around her waist and it is probable this is concealing her left hand which is next to her exposed right hand, consistent with being handcuffed.
There is insufficient evidence at this point to determine if the edema on her face was caused by punching, as she alleges was done by the other officer, or from impact on the street. The edema is very marked as consistent in a short amount of time with a severe injury but could be indicated by repeated injury over time.
As for the door issue: Standard procedure in WA and other areas is to lockout the rear doors continually and not to switch it back to allow passengers in the back seat to open. If a police department has a policy that allows for the officer to regularly accompany an arrestee it is likely this switch would be turned to allow opening from the inside so that the officer can let himself out. Otherwise he would have to wait for someone outside the car to do this. Some police agencies do not put screens between the front and back of the car which creates a situation where the suspect can become unruly and attempt to assault the driver or move to the front of the patrol car.
It is probable the woman here was handcuffed behind her back. If the window was rolled down on the rear passenger side, and there were no bars to prevent her moving, it is possible she could have moved out that way. I have seen people get from the back of the patrol car to the front of the car while handcuffed if the screen is slid open.
It is possible if the door was unlocked, the woman having handcuffs will be able to open the door by turning with her back to the door and opening it with her cuffed hands. Suspects can do much while handcuffed behind their back despite what people might think. There have been occasions before better holsters were created in the late 1980s where suspects were know to disarm officers when handcuffed behind their backs.
Some patrol cars have a switch on the inside door of the rear doors that have a lockout switch that prevents their opening. The lockout switch works only for the door it was attached to.
Even if the lockout switch was engaged (no opening from inside) neither the officer or the woman would have been able to open the door. Therefore the officer in the back seat could have opened the door whether for her to escape or the officer throwing her out. If the door was not locked out it would be negligence on part of the officers at the least for not locking out the door.
It is possible LAPD has a remote switch by the driver’s seat to lockout the rear doors but it is unknown if this is the case or not.
Again I am not making definite conclusions, this is just what I see and my analysis based upon the information I have.
One more things. cops should have mini camera on at all times that they’re on duty which uploads to internet data base to which officer in question does not have access.
I don’t see when she exited the car. Was it right when the camera pans away?
What is the police explanation for why she was in the car in the first place? Like others stated, I’ve always thought you could not open the back door of a police car from the inside even if you weren’t in cuffs. Doesn’t look good for the cops here, but I’d withhold judgment until I get a little more of the story.
LAPD is a thug factory.
“Res ipsa loquitur,” doesn’t it?
Rapists make me sick.
I sincerely hope these depraved turd stains live the rest of their lives in a cage.
However, why would the officer throw the woman handcuffed from the car when they knew that witnesses saw the arrest and the handcuffs would implicate them?
Because they read too many stories where the police get away with this type of…shenangans
Notice how blasé they are when standing around. That will sell well in court when she has them before a jury on a civil rights damage claim.
when that civil claim gets to court, I hope those cops are dressed in orange jumpsuits.
Most police cars have the inside door handles disabled on the rear doors. The reason for that should be obvious to even the most incurious. I wonder if the door handle even worked.
You will notice that the cops removed the handcuffs before they moved their car to reveal the body in the street. Being handcuffed is not a problem for the cops, unless they are as stupid as the Houston cops who threw Jose Campos Torres off a bridge while still handcuffed after they had beaten him senseless. He drowned, and he came up after a few days with HPD cuffs still on.
Thank God for video cams and the Internet.
I truly fear for my sons.
She opened the back door….with handcuffs…. Sounds like negligence on the part of the police without anything else….. But then you have all the other stuff….. Oh my….
But in LA they are all 007….. The have a duty to kill and maim….. They treat everyone like a King……
Maybe police will start charging citizens a $30.00 fee for this too (see Pay to Play)
Police version of the “Knock-out Game”?
Dear God! What the heck is going on with our PDs?! People waiting for a taxi are now subject to arrest? Sounds like kidnapping for the purpose of sexually assaulting this woman.
I am stunned. SMH!
An armed response is the only logical answer!