Posted on 04/04/2007 5:07:59 PM PDT by grjr21
Angel Rodriguez told NBC 10 that he needs crutches to get around because at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, police beat him and broke his ankle.
"I was right here looking down right in front of the house," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said police were on his block making a drug arrest, but then he started videotaping what he thought turned into police brutality.
"There was like five cops on each person. They had the one lady on the floor they was kicking her and the other guy they had handcuffed against the car and they were beating him with the sticks," Rodriguez said.
The 19-year-old Army reservist said police saw him videotaping and rushed into his Lippincott Street home without a warrant.
He said within minutes, he went from being a witness to a victim.
"The one cop came punched me in my mouth then they threw me on the floor. After they were done smashing the camera then they hit me with the night stick," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez showed NBC 10 the camera he said damaged when the police ripped out the videotape.
"They left the camera here in pieces and took the tape with them," Rodriguez said.
Police officials at the 24 District confirmed to NBC 10 that they made several arrests near Rodriguez's home Tuesday night.
Police also confirmed that Rodriguez was not arrested, and NBC 10 was there when internal affairs detectives combed the neighborhood investigating the allegations.
Luis Melendez, Rodriguez's brother, said he was home at the time, and the incident has left him with a bad impression about police.
"The cops go on the news every night and we hear about how they need citizens to help them make these streets better and get guns off the streets but they're out here beating up citizens," Melendez said.
Gotta love them Philly cops
"Hey, he learned his lesson, we were pretty busy that day, what are we gonna do, add insult to injury? Let me rephrase that..."
They do a great job of imitating the New Jersey kripo State Troopers.
Every time I read a story about police brutality I always check to see which party the mayor belongs to. So far they have always been Democrats.
These big cities are just meat grinders. You won’t catch me even close to one. Bad things happen there, stay away.
should get an award for irony if nothing else.
Must be union men. Former dock workers?
LOL!
Yep, including Detroit.
I’m so shocked cops would do this. /s
Another big happy Democrat precinct ...
Wise, wise advice........
All of you guys are funny. You take this guys word for what happened although he has no proof that is what really occurred. He has a Video Camera that he says was broken by cops and says that they broke his ankle, but no proof. His brother doesn’t even really support him, he doesn’t say he saw what happend only that he has a bad opinion of the cops now. Some how I am not convinced all this happened the way this guy is claiming.
The brother’s statement that is in the report doesn’t benefit either side. The brothers statement doesn’t say if the cops did or didn’t enter the house. Not enough information.
Yea, whats wrong with all the other posters to take the word of person who swore an oath to defend the constitution.
I would guess that's probably a safe bet.
Wasn’t Philly the place where the cops called in an airstrike on a rowhouse to end a “situation”, and ended
up burning down the neighborhood?
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