Posted on 08/04/2011 11:33:53 AM PDT by truthkeeper
Six police officers in California were placed on leave Wednesday after surveillance video surfaced showing witnesses describe how cops fatally beat a mentally ill homeless man.
Kelly Thomas, 37, died July 10, five days after a confrontation with Fullerton police investigating reports of an attempted car burglary.
Surveillance video taken on an Orange County Transportation Authority bus showed passengers describing the alleged assault.
"They beat him up, and then all the cops came and they hogtied him, and he was like, 'Please God, Please Dad!'" said one witness.
Another video, taken by a bystander on his cell phone, shows the altercation from a distance. A man's voice is heard over a clicking noise that witnesses said was from a stun gun.
Thomas had schizophrenia and was not taking his medication, according to his father, Ron Thomas. He suffered severe head and neck injuries and was eventually taken off life support.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Kelly Thomas, 37, was schitzophrenic from about the age of 17. He is described as homeless but his parents and family state that was his choice, that he always had a home with them but preferred to be a "drifter" who circulated from Yorba Linda, Placentia, Cypress, and Fullerton (his "route") for years.
His father Ron, an ex-Sheriff's deputy, is an incredibly articulate and able spokesman for his son, IMO. Currently 3 members of the city council, as well as the police chief Michael Sellers, are in real hot water as a petition for recall may begin to be circulated within 48 hours. In addition, many in the city are demanding the release of the Orange County Transit District's high-quality videotape of the incident, as it took place right underneath the camera at the city's transporation center.
The case is currently under investigation by the city, the Department of Justice, and the FBI.
I am pinging the "Crime, Law, and Justice" group to this article as our weekly thread, but am considering starting a separate Kelly Thomas ping list for those who are interested in this unbelievably sad story. Please send me a FReepmail if you want to be on it.
Admin Moderator, can you please fix the title? Obviously “Nan” should be “Man.” Thank you.
In before “That’s what you get for resisting arrest”...
There was another film taken by a real-estate agent —the cops seized it. Gosh I wonder WHY..?
Also: the cruiser cam was centered on the beating; dispatchers looking on apparently can exercise real-time control over panning, zooming, etc. The dispatchers DID zoom up directly on his face as he was being beaten to death.
ALL of it is clearly visible on the tape, which is horrific.
2 days after the beating the main cop was BOASTING about beating him so badly in the locker-room.
I’m serious.
You get the polished boot. Lucky you. :)
Yes, and I hope they get it but I am not holding my breath. My understanding is he was standing right there and filmed the whole thing.
It hasn't turned up yet, to my knowledge.
This is the same PD where:
1. A lady cop was arrested 3 weeks ago for casually stealing a flyer’s iPad in an airport
2. An officer was arrested for multiple cases of theft to support an oxycontin addiction
Yep, you beat 'em.
I’ll leave the beatings to the professionals-Fullerton P.D.
You forgot the following criminal cases:
1. The battery and assault case, also videotaped, where the defendant was exonerated because the tape clearing showed an officer knocking his cellphone out of his hand as he was taping and taking him down; and
2. The pending federal case by the two women contending they were held against their will and sexually molested by two officers.
Will keep you posted if you do the same for me.
1. The street-level cops were directed by their superiors MULTIPLE times to re-write their reports with a mind to minimizing claims that could be counter-indicated by the tape.
2. The tape was shown to those report-writers as they were writing them (very unusual)
3. There’s speculation the feds will swoop in and take control of the case (although do you trust the feds?)
4. Local radio-stations have an anonymous informant in the PD telling them everything
MOre.
Schizophrenia and was not taking his medication is no reason TO BEAT THE MAN TO DEATH!
Closed case! Book ‘em, ship ‘em.
Let the other murderers take care of them.
I don't know what's worse, that two of the six officers beat him to death well after he was crying "Please God, please Dad, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...Dad...Dad...Dad!" or the four of them that stood there and allowed it to happen without intervening to stop it.
Yes, I know. Allegedly.
Why?
Why?
Every week it seems that more and more American “peace officers” are getting further and further away from planet earth, and their own humanity.
Any cops out there care to address this? I have worked with many, many POs. NONE of them were lunatics like this. One was a perjuror, and it was another PO who broght that to light. What the hell is going on? I KNOW most are not like this, so WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Before and after photos here (if you can’t handle criome scene photos don’t look - they DO take their toll from one’s spirit)
oh hell yeah, bro, you got it.
I’m no hippy but...hey that was murder, you know?
Yes to everything you have said. Like you (to quote Frasier), "I'mmmmm listening..."
Do you have a link? Nowhere have I seen cruiser cam video.
Please put me on your ping list. This case is just horrific. We’ve had so many cases of unbelievable behavior by cops recently. These guys should all be tried for Murder in the First Degree!
It's sis...and you're on, my FRiend.
I know at one time KFI-AM had the picture of this mans face. It was horrible. I would like to see the death penalty for a couple & 25 yrs for the other thugs.
Some people just don't appreciate it when you're trying to help.
"The informant" said they have it and TWO dispatchers watched the whole event and were horrified and appalled.
I don't doubt that they will be testifying both to authenticate their tape and to offer direct evidence.
I'm super busy today, but I will hunt for the informant link(s) if I get a chance and post them. If someone else can do it quicker, please be my guest.
Did Princess Botox from San Fran get kicked out by her old man? .... :^)
Yeah, I’m waiting for Admin Moderator to come to my rescue on that one. My face is red. :-(
I would like to hear the cops’ story as the why they thought it necessary to continue to kick and beat a man AFTER he was handcuffed and on the ground.
These so called Police Officers should have received training in how to approach and handle the mentally ill.Most states mandate that to become a certified Police Officer.
This story really angers me because I have a son who has Aspergers Syndrome.As a result he is not socially aware of others and is not at ease around strangers.
Makes me wonder what they could do to him.
bump for later
I have actually been hearing he was hogtied.
Rest assured I will be watching every nanosecond of this trial. I am sickened beyond belief at this incident.
IF they ever make it to trial, they will be offered a plea deal to plead guilty of "violation of oath of office" or some other minor charge. They won't be tried for murder. They won't be tried for manslaughter. They're cops. They can reasonably expect to kill a citizen every now and then and not really face any personal consequences.
...and the government stands behind the choices of the mentally ill. Pretty soon they will have more choices than the mentally sound.
If his family had known for sure he was going to be slain on the street that day, they would not have been legally able to keep him from going to the killing ground. In all probability they wouldn't have been able to stop him if he were underage, either.
I think we are all thinking that.
These officers should be charged with Murder.
Same here. This was murder.
If that ever happens in the future, just click the "Report Abuse" and explain. I did for you on this thread.
That’s a great question —unfortunately the PD has not released the video to the public, though it’s being played repeatedly there.
I understand it’s so bad that they immediately offered the surviving family $900,000 in return for a signed release from liability —an offer that was immediately and thankfully rejected.
Yeah...umm....anyone who is blabbing about seeing it avers that it’s by far the worst being they’ve ever seen, not comparing at all to Rodney King, etc.
WE NEED TO SEE THE VIDEO.
Yup.
LOL.
even after the beating, her face hadn’t moved at all.
Additionally, our radio guys (John and Ken) got a copy of the FPD's "use of force" manual. These guys violated the department's own policies and procedures.
BTW, the alleged primary beater was a one-eyed cop. He lost his eye when he was shot while with the LAPD and was then terminated and given a 70% disability pension. He got onto the Fullerton PD because he had "friends in high places" (allegedly).
That stinks too.
Thank you, Arrowhead. You are kind.
The media highlights the bad ones, and ignores the good ones. The media makes a big deal of the horrible cases, and ignores the millions of stories of officers doing good things each year.
The media virtually NEVER reports on anything involving the police, UNLESS it is bad, because it fits right in with the Communist goals outlined in 1958.
Then you have the libertines who take the media stories that the media sensationalizes, and uses it to push a "LETS SMOKE DOPE!" agenda.
You see it with other professions the media does not like as well. Think about clergy. When does the media do a HUGE screaming headline story about clergy? Yep, when it involves a scandal. The media ignores the millions of times that clergy do good things with people.
This blog is the best source:Fullertonsfuture.org
One interesting rumor there today regarding the original 911 call, which police also still refuse to release:
A friend with LE background said the same thing. They said the original call was for TWO people breaking into cars described loosely as gang bangers. Then the PD, nothing better to do, decides to go screw with a homeless schizo and see what he’s up to. They try to search without cause (unless being schizo is cause) and Kelly “resisted”… Then the fight was on.
“The New York Daily News” is too frightened to show what he looked like after he was beaten?
Don’t thank the lying Obama MSM for covering this, thank the UK.
The title is already fixed.
I have a cousin who is schitzophrenic and was also a drifter, so this thing is breaking my heart on many levels. I know it has also deeply touched and infuriated many, many people in our area.
May justice be done in this case.
First I’ve heard of the alternate videos. Where did you hear this?
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