New York City Police Officer Kofi Nsafoah Arrested And Charged After Choking His Wife

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – An off-duty city cop was arrested early Tuesday for allegedly choking his wife, police said.

Kofi Nsafoah, 36, was taken into custody at 2:30 a.m. after an apparent fight with his wife, cops said.

Police said the altercation happened in the vicinity of the 61st Precinct, which polices Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend, Kings Highway, Homecrest, Madison, Manhattan Beach and Gerritsen Beach. They declined to provide a specific address.

It was unclear how seriously the woman was injured.

Nsafoah was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, police said.

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Edinburgh Indiana Police Officer Christopher McAllister Suspended After Arrest For Drunken Attack On Officers At Indanapolis Motor Speedway The Day Before Indy 500 Race

EDINBURGH, INDIANA – An Edinburgh police officer accused of attacking officers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month has been put on unpaid leave as a criminal investigation continues.

24-Hour News 8 news partner the Daily Journal reports the Edinburgh Town Council, which serves as town’s police merit commission, voted to place Officer Christopher McAllister, 44, on unpaid leave until the case is resolved in Marion County.

Because the town does not have a policy regarding what to do when an officer is charged with a crime, the newspaper said, Police Chief Pat Pankey allowed him to continue working and deferred the decision on what should be done to the Town Council.

Police said McAllister and his wife were creating a disturbance May 26 at IMS the day before the Indianapolis 500. When officers confronted them, McAllister attacked officers. He faces charges of battery, resisting law enforcement and public intoxication.

His wife, Shawntel, also resisted officers and even tried to jump on one of them. She was charged with resisting law enforcement and public intoxication.

Dustin Huddleston, the town’s attorney, told the newspaper the council would reconsider McAllister’s status once the criminal case was resolved.

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Savage Black Beast Attacked And Beat Random White Man Sitting Near Her On Philadelphia Pennsylvania Bus

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – Philadelphia police are searching for a woman who was caught on surveillance camera assaulting a man on a SEPTA bus last month.

The incident happened on May 31st on a Route 23 SEPTA bus on the 5700 block of Germantown Avenue.

Police say a little before 2:30 p.m., a woman described as black female, 5’5” with a stocky build boarded the bus and right after sitting down, she suddenly got up, approached a man sitting a few rows behind her and began assaulting him.

Police say she punched and slapped the victim, causing injuries to his head and face. The woman then exited the bus at the Germantown and Shelten Avenue stop and fled on foot in an unknown direction.

She was wearing a pink shirt, dark jeans and white sunglasses.

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Marion County Indiana Deputy Sheriff David Carrico Arrested And Charged After Brutally Beating Handcuffed Man In Unprovoked Attack And False Reporting – Caught On Video – Problem Department Has Seen 6 Deputies Quit Or Fired In 3 Months

MARION COUNTY, INDIANA – The story seemed plausible enough. At first.

A man being processed before he was taken to jail threatened to start a riot. A Marion County sheriff’s deputy said he had no choice but to take the man down. While they grappled, the man bit him on the thumb. The deputy was forced to throw a punch.

But investigators say Deputy David Carrico’s story isn’t true.

And they say they have the video to prove it.

On Friday, Carrico, 28, was fired and charged with felony official misconduct and two misdemeanors — battery and false reporting — in what investigators say is an unprovoked attack on Harry Hooks Jr, a 42-year-old Indianapolis man.

Hooks had been arrested May 20 on suspicion of driving away from a car crash and was taken to the Arrestee Processing Center near the jail Downtown.

Marion County Sheriff’s Col. Eva Talley-Sanders said surveillance video taken that night at the processing center shows Hooks’ hands were cuffed behind his back when Carrico pushed him up against a wall. She said Carrico then slammed Hooks onto the concrete floor, climbed on top of him and punched him in the head.

“It’s just horrible,” she said. He was “essentially beating him up.”

Carrico’s case is the latest example of a troubling trend involving Indianapolis-area law enforcement accused of wrongdoing.

In the past three months, six deputies, including Carrico, have resigned or been fired while under investigation for criminal misconduct or other wrongdoing.

And that’s just the Sheriff’s Department. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department also has had its share of officer misconduct issues — including another that came to light Friday.

An IMPD officer, Thomas Bordenkecher, was charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and intimidation for an off-duty altercation.

Meanwhile, sheriff’s investigators say it’s not entirely clear what triggered the incident at the processing center. They are not releasing a videotape of the incident, citing an ongoing investigation.

According to the affidavit, sheriff’s investigators say the video shows Hooks standing in the processing center along with five other arrestees when Carrico put him in a “hand hold” and took him to another area.

It was there, with the two alone, that investigators say the video shows Carrico grabbed Hooks by the neck and threw him on the concrete floor. With Hooks pinned to the floor, they say Carrico punched him in the head.

The affidavit says Hooks later was taken to the hospital where he had a “questionable nasal fracture,” cuts and a bruise on the right eye.

He later filed a complaint that led to the investigation.

The affidavit says the video shows that before Carrico pulled Hooks aside, “all the arrestees in the receiving room were compliant and no one appeared to be acting in a riotous manner.”

Though not mentioned in the affidavit, a press release issued earlier on Friday by the Sheriff’s Department said the video showed Hooks refusing to face in the right direction, and he can be heard calling deputies “racists” before Carrico took him to the other area.

Talley-Sanders said the Sheriff’s Department has asked federal authorities to determine whether Hooks’ civil rights were violated.

A woman who answered the door at Hooks’ address Friday afternoon declined to comment.

Police reports show that Carrico, who has been a deputy for seven years, has been involved in at least four other altercations with suspects in the past two years. In each case, according to the probable cause affidavits, Carrico claimed he was injured. And in each case, he claimed the inmate needed to be violently restrained.

Back in March, Carrico was involved in an incident with an inmate at the processing center who had already been charged with resisting law enforcement.

The arrestee swung his elbow at Carrico’s face, the police report alleges. As they grappled, Carrico hit his head on the wall or the metal door, making him dizzy. The suspect hit his head as well, the report states, as authorities were “placing him on the ground.”

In November 2010, Carrico got a “sore knee” while trying to handcuff a suspect who was picked up on an active warrant. The suspect kicked Carrico, the report states, and in the process the suspect “lost his balance” and “fell onto the parking lot.”

Sheriff’s officials said Friday they hadn’t gone back to look into the other incidents, but that Carrico may have acted appropriately.

“Most certainly, he could have been the victim,” Talley-Sanders said.

Carrico is the only recent sheriff’s deputy to face charges stemming from an on-duty incident. The rest happened off the clock.

Michael McKittrick, 29, was arrested May 26 after investigators say he fired a rifle in his apartment while drunk.

Douglas Tibbs, 33, resigned on May 22 — two days before he was charged with burglary and theft of prescription drugs.

Donald Prout, 32, resigned on March 28, about a week after being charged with theft and “ghost employment,” a charge stemming from allegations he worked for a private security firm while he was supposed to be serving warrants or attending training classes.

Ryan Radez, 29, was fired in February after being arrested and charged with public intoxication for an incident during pre-Super Bowl festivities.

Matthew Prestel, 27, was also fired in February after Child Protective Services removed his two young children from his home because of unsafe living conditions.

Natasha Fogleman, a 29-year-old civilian dispatcher, was fired in January after she was arrested and charged with trafficking with an inmate at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.

Sheriff’s investigators say that while troubling, the cases don’t point to a larger problem, either with training or screening for new hires.

They say some bad hires inevitably make it through when more than 1,000 employees, including 750 deputies, are on the payroll.

“I would put our screening and training up against any agency in the state,” said Maj. Scott Mellinger, the sheriff’s chief training officer and the former director of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not minimizing the serious nature of the incidents. It not only makes us re-evaluate what we’re doing, it makes us angry and very, very disappointed.”

But at least one critic says the cases point to larger problems in recruiting qualified deputies.

Jim White, a 20-year state police veteran who now lectures at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said the issue lies with how the deputies receive their law enforcement authority.

While deputies such as Carrico may be sworn law enforcement officers who can carry weapons, make arrests and conduct investigations, technically they aren’t “certified” to state standards like Indiana State Police or IMPD officers.

Instead, the “special deputies,” who primarily work in the jails and serve court papers, are deputized by the sheriff and trained at an in-house facility run by Mellinger.

White said many of the most ideal candidates trend toward police departments that train their officers to be certified.

The Sheriff’s Department, White said, is “not getting the candidates they used to get in the past.”

Sheriff’s training officers, however, insist that even though the deputies aren’t “certified,” that doesn’t mean training is insufficient.

Mellinger said deputies still are required to undergo 161/2 weeks of law enforcement training — the same amount cadets receive at his former academy. Plus, new deputies also receive a two-week course in jail procedures.

Besides, he points out, there also have been serious problems at IMPD, so it’s not like being “certified” guarantees appropriate conduct.

Earlier this month, IMPD settled for $1.5 million with the family of Eric Wells, who was killed in August 2010 when officer David Bisard drove — allegedly while drunk — into Wells’ motorcycle. In April, Police Chief Paul Ciesielski resigned after it was revealed officers mishandled a blood sample of Bisard’s for a second time.

And on Friday, a trial in which IMPD officer David Butler was accused of stealing money from Hispanic motorists ended in a hung jury.

Capt. Michael Hubbs, who oversees all criminal investigations for the sheriff, said given the problems other agencies have faced, it would be unfair to single out the sheriff’s office.

“These are deputy sheriffs,” Hubbs said. “They’re trusted just like any police officer.”

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4 Quebec Canada Police Officers With Suspected Connections To Organized Crime Arrested

QUEBEC, CANADA – Four Quebec police officers were arrested and released this week in connection with suspected ties to organized crime.

Two officers from the Montreal police force were arrested Thursday, one day after two Longueuil policemen were taken into custody.

Several reports Thursday said the officers were arrested and questioned in connection with an attack on a Montreal officer in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico two years ago.

Montreal police won’t comment on the arrests.

One officer was reportedly suspended without pay, and the other one will be reassigned to administrative duties, said CBC reporter Lauren McCallum.

The Longueuil officers were arrested on Wednesday, questioned and released.

Authorities “don’t know as of yet if there will be any criminal accusations,” said Longueuil police spokeswoman Nancy Colagiacomo.

The South Shore officers have been suspended with pay, pending the investigation.

They are both in the early 30s, and have between five and ten years’ experience on the force.

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Sanford Florida Police Officer Rober Shull Suspended Amid Investigation Into Attack On His Ex-Girlfriend

SANFORD, FLORIDA – Sanford Police Officer Robert Shull has been placed on administrative leave while the State Attorney’s Office decides whether to file criminal charges against him.

Shull is a longtime SPD officer, who is accused by his ex-girlfriend of throwing her to the floor and threatening her life last November in Volusia County.

The two lived together at the time of the incident, but they no longer live together.

The victim also claims that Shull sent her hundreds of emails in the months after that. However, an incident report by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office states that the emails appeared to be mutual conversation, rather than threatening.

Shull has not been arrested, as was previously reported. The State Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case to see what if any charges should be filed. The VCSO written report classified the case as battery by touching or striking.

In addition to the possible criminal case, Shull’s behavior is being reviewed by Sanford Police to see if he should keep his job once the criminal investigation is completed.

In a statement, Interim Sanford Police Chief R. Myers said, “When officers take the oath of office, they are committing to a social contract with the community, and must live up to the moral and ethical expectations that accompany that contract. We will balance the rights of an accused to be treated with due process and the constitutional mandate of innocence until proven guilty against the police obligation to hold officers accountable to their sacred oath. If we are to earn and sustain the public’s trust, it must start with how we police ourselves. We owe it to the good men and women who serve with honor everyday to show no tolerance for lawlessness or incompetence.”

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Crazed Volusia County School Officals Take Child’s Asthma Inhaler – Nurse Refused To Give It Back During Severe Asthma Attack – Mother Arrives To Find Son Collapsing Against Wall Of Nurse’s Office

DELTONA, FLORIDA – Volusia County School officials stand by a Deltona High School nurse’s decision to refuse a student his inhaler during an asthma attack, citing a lack of a parent’s signature on a medical release form.

“It’s like something out of a horror film. The person just sits there and watches you die,” said Michael Rudi, 17. “She sat there, looked at me and she did nothing.”

He said the school dean found his inhaler during a search of his locker last Friday. The inhaler was still in its original packaging — complete with his name and directions for its use; however, the school took it away because his mother hadn’t signed the proper form for him to have it.

School leaders called Sue Rudi when her son started having trouble breathing. She rushed to the office and was taken back to the nurse’s office by school administrators and they discovered the teen on the floor.

“As soon as we opened up the door, we saw my son collapsing against the wall on the floor of the nurse’s office while she was standing in the window of the locked door looking down at my son, who was in full-blown asthma attack,” Rudi said.

Michael Rudi said when he started to pass out from his attack, the nurse locked the door.

“I believe that when I closed my eyes I wasn’t going to wake up,” he said.

The Director of Student Health Services, Cheryl Selesky, said that parents must sign the medical release form each year, which allows students to carry their prescribed drugs with them in school.

This year, the district had no record of his Rudi’s signature, said Selesky.

“I mean its common sense if I saw an animal on the street in distress I would probably stop to help, why wouldn’t she help a child,” Sue Rudi said.

But Rudi is a senior, and his mother said the district has had records of his asthma throughout his years in the school.

She thinks her son could have died because of a technicality.

“How dare you deny my son something that we all take for granted, breath,” said Sue Rudi. “Why didn’t someone call 911?”

Selesky said the district is looking into whether proper procedures were followed by the school, and while nurses can’t give medications without the proper authorization, it is district policy to call 911 when a student cannot breath.

Selesky could not explain why 911 was never called.

“I understand if you can’t give it to him call 911,” Sue Rudi said. “Why did you not call 911?”

Sue Rudi said she worries about the next student caught in a similar situation, and has filed charges against the nurse with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

“I want to press child endangerment charges for something they did to my son,” Rudi said in the 911 call.

Local 6 reached out to the school district officials for more information, but they declined to interview.

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2 On 1: Savage Black Beasts Attack White Woman Ordering Lunch In Denver Colorado McDonalds Drive-Thru

DENVER, COLORADO – Police are investigating a vicious beating at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Denver.

Shannon, who asked us not to use her last name, was the victim of an attack on May 9 just before noon.

She called our sister station KUSA 9News, and asked for help finding her attackers.

“I don’t feel safe anymore,” Shannon said.

Photo Gallery: Woman attacked at McDonald’s drive-thru

The attack happened in the middle of the busy lunch hour at the McDonald’s on 3300 Colorado Boulevard near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Radio reference recorded dispatchers describing the attack, as multiple 911 calls came in.

“Two black females are inside. They’re fighting inside the car still in the drive-thru,” one dispatcher can be heard saying.

Shannon has been coming to the same drive-thru almost every day for five years without a problem… until this incident.

“I witnessed this young lady throwing trash out of her car and all I said was that it wasn’t cool,” Shannon said.

A few choice words later, Shannon thought the argument was over.

“All of a sudden I was being attacked,” Shannon said.

Two women jumped out of the car in front of her.

“She was right in my window just punching me in my face, pulling my hair,” Shannon said. “She started biting on my hands so severely. I thought she was gonna bite ’em off, actually.”

Then a man jumped out of the car and threw a soda through her window.

“He said, ‘This is for you, you white b—-. This is a grape soda.’ And then they took off,” Shannon said.

The attack happened in plain view of a rooftop security camera, but Denver Police told Shannon the actual beating wasn’t caught on tape.

Investigators won’t release the security video, calling this an “open investigation.”

McDonald’s management has no comment, but say it is cooperating with police.

“If they can do that, they can snap and do something else. Something worse,” Shannon said.

Shannon hopes police find whoever beat her up before they do it again.

“I don’t want anybody else to get hurt like I got hurt,” Shannon said.

The description of the suspects – two black women and one black man – is vague. The best clue police have to go on right now is they were driving a light-blue Cadillac with temporary tags.

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Hooded Mob Of With Masked Faces Attack Diners At Tinley Park Illinois Restaurant With Clubs And Hammers

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – It was the middle of the lunch rush Saturday, and Mike Winston was working in the kitchen of his Tinley Park restaurant, the Ashford House, when a waitress screamed a fight had broken out in the dining room.

Police call the melee at the restaurant a targeted assault by a mob that Winston said wielded metal batons and hammers. Ten diners were hurt in the attack, and three of those were hospitalized.

Tinley Park police had five suspected assailants in custody, and Winston said 18 young men, all wearing hooded jackets and obscuring their faces with scarves and other coverings, stormed into the restaurant.

“They came running in the door single file,” said Winston, who owns Ashford House, 7959 W. 159th St., and the adjacent Winston’s Market.

Winston, and police, said the men knew who their targets were, and that the attack wasn’t a random act of violence. Winston said the mob “targeted” a group of 20 diners, all of whom were from out of state.

“Once they attacked the table, they went and started hitting random people,” Winston said.

Along with hammers, the men used what Winston described as “old-fashioned police batons” as well as metal batons.

“Four or five people got knocked over the head pretty good, enough to require stitches,” he said.

He chased after one of the attackers “and had him on the ground, then five guys got out of a car and started kicking the [crap] out of me,” Winston said.

Winston said he was kicked in the back of the head and suffered several bruises, but he was the only restaurant employee who was hurt.

“They did a whole lot of damage,” he said. “They flipped over tables, they broke half the dishes.”

Surveillance cameras inside the restaurant captured the attack, and footage was turned over to Tinley Park police, Winston said.

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Norfolk Virginia News Media Hides Story About White Couple Attacked By Dozens Of Black Savages – Even The Newspaper They Worked For, Virginia Pilot, Didn’t Report On Beatings Until 2 Weeks Latter

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA – There’s outrage in Norfolk, Va., today after a white couple was attacked by a group of dozens of black teenagers, and the local newspaper did not report on the incident for two weeks, despite the victims being employees of the paper.

Even today, the Virginian-Pilot did not cover the crime as news, but rather as an opinion piece by columnist Michelle Washington.

“Wave after wave of young men surged forward to take turns punching and kicking their victim,” Washington wrote, describing the onslaught that began when Dave Forster and Marjon Rostami stopped at a red light while driving home from a show on a Saturday night. A crowd of at least 100 black young people was on the sidewalk.

“Rostami locked her car door. Someone threw a rock at her window. Forster got out to confront the rock-thrower, and that’s when the beating began. …

“The victim’s friend, a young woman, tried to pull him back into his car. Attackers came after her, pulling her hair, punching her head and causing a bloody scratch to the surface of her eye. She called 911. A recording told her all lines were busy. She called again. Busy. On her third try, she got through and, hysterical, could scream only their location. Church and Brambleton. Church and Brambleton. Church and Brambleton. It happened four blocks from where they work, here at the Virginian-Pilot.”

Washington says neither suffered grave injuries, but both were out of work for a week. Forster’s torso ached from blows to his ribs, and he retained a thumb-sized bump on his head. Rostami reportedly fears to be alone in her home., while Forster wishes he’d stayed in the car.

The columnist admits the story has not, until today, appeared in the Virginian-Pilot.

“The responding officer coded the incident as a simple assault, despite their assertions that at least 30 people had participated in the attack,” Washington explains. “A reporter making routine checks of police reports would see ‘simple assault’ and, if the names were unfamiliar, would be unlikely to write about it. In this case, editors hesitated to assign a story about their own employees. Would it seem like the paper treated its employees differently from other crime victims?”

Washington says the day after the beatings, Forster searched Twitter for mention of the attack, and one post in particular chilled him.

“I feel for the white man who got beat up at the light,” wrote one person.

“I don’t,” wrote another, indicating laughter. “(do it for trayvon martin)”

Trayvon Martin, is the unarmed black teen, who died after being shot by a community-watch captain with white and Hispanic parents, George Zimmerman, in Sanford, Fla., sparking a wave of outrage long after the incident.

The newspaper is coming under heavy criticism today from residents in the greater Norfolk area, known as Hampton Roads.

“It is unbelievable that the Virginian-Pilot would BURY this story for two weeks for politically correct reasons. That is sad and disgusting,” said David Englert of Norfolk. “Someone should be fired or resign over the decision not to report this attack. It is a sad enough commentary on our society and community to read about how the responding police viewed this crime, but for our only newspaper to decide that they will hide from the truth rather than report the truth is PATHETIC! Any attack by a mob of people on any innocent victim should be put under a bright spotlight for all involved to be judged and exposed as appropriate, and to make sure that the criminal justice system does its job to protect those who obey the law.”

William Tabor of Chesapeake, Va., complained: “Surely the Pilot knew about it. A racially motivated attack is certainly news. Was it not politically correct enough to be reported? Is civilization suspended in Norfolk after dark? If we can’t rely on the police for protection, and our [news] media fails to warn us of such hazards, we can only rely on ourselves.”

Charles Chandler of Norfolk indicated: “I am not sure what I am angrier about. This story, or the crowd of black teens who needlessly and thoughtlessly beat two white victims. Or am I just angry that this still occurs in the year 2012. Nearly fifty years after the marches and the speeches and the declaration of civil liberties for all people. Clearly we are nowhere near the dream Dr. King envisioned. I am angry. I am angry at the calloused cop who stated “this is what they do”. I am angry at the Pilot for hiding it under a bushel.”

And Douglas Gaynor of Virginia Beach brought up the need for self-defense, saying, “If the young lady was armed and trained, she could have whipped out P345 and taken out a few thugs.”

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Baltimore Maryland Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld II Says Attack On White Tourist By Pack Of Savage Black Beasts Wasn’t A Hate Crime

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Baltimore’s police chief today said that the videotaped beating of a white tourist does not appear to be a hate crime, but rather “drunken opportunistic criminality” on the part of a gang of Charm City assailants.

In a radio interview, Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III urged Baltimore residents to “distinguish between criminality and racially motivated crime.” Bealefeld, who is white, warned against “race-baiting” and “fear-mongering” in light of the Trayvon Martin shooting and other recent racially charged incidents.

“There’s no doubt it’s a crime,” Bealefeld said of the March 17 assault. “We need to vigorously hold criminals accountable, and we have to be careful not to be pulled into this race-baiting.”

As Baltimore cops investigate the videotaped beating of a tourist on St. Patrick’s Day, a second clip showing the brutal attack could help police identify members of the mob who knocked the victim to the ground, stole his belongings, and even tore his pants off.

The video, seen above, was shot by an onlooker outside a downtown courthouse, where the tourist was sucker-punched by an attacker. The victim, wearing a Mountain Dew shirt, crumpled to the sidewalk and hit his head.

While on the ground, the man was set upon by about ten attackers, who stole his Tag Heuer watch, money, iPhone, and keys to his Audi, according to police. The dazed and defenseless victim is also punched, kicked, and even hit with a shoe by several assailants. In a final indignity, the man is “teabagged” by a male attacker.

The 1:26 cell phone video–shot by a cameraman who cackled as the beating transpired–was first uploaded to the WorldStar Hip Hop web site on March 30. It was included as part of a 14:22 “fight compilation” of 12 clips showing assorted mayhem.

In a TV news report Friday (which included another view of the Baltimore attack), a detective pledged to hunt down the man’s attackers. “We want to bring these people to justice,” said Det. Nicole Monroe.

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Jefferson Parish Louisiana Deputy Sheriff Dwayne Guynes Arrested, Suspended, And Charged With Domestic Violence After Attack On His Girlfriend – Sexual Battery And Other Allegations Are Also Pending

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA – A Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy has been suspended after he was arrested this past weekend in New Orleans and booked on domestic violence charges. Deputy Dwayne Guynes, 34, an officer with the 2nd District in Harvey, has been suspended indefinitely as a result of his arrest, said Col. John Fortunato, spokesman with the Sheriff’s Office.

Guynes has been a member of the Sheriff’s Office since October 2007, Fortunato said. No details about his arrest were available Monday evening.

New Orleans police spokesman Frank Robertson said the incident occurred Saturday in the 100 block of Chartres Street in the French Quarter.

“He got into a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and we booked him with domestic battery,” Robertson said, adding that no rape was involved.

But shortly after his arrest by NOPD, Fortunato said a woman contacted the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to report that she had been a victimized by Guynes in Jefferson Parish and neighboring jurisdictions.

It’s not clear whether the woman who contacted the Sheriff’s Office is the same victim from the case in New Orleans. Fortunato did not reveal any details of those allegations, but said the crimes were sexual in nature and also included battery.

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Henderson Nevada Police Officers Caught On Video Brutally Beating Unresisting Man In A Diabetic Shock – Attackers Names Hidden From The Public

HENDERSON, NEVADA – Adam Greene is on his stomach as a pack of police officers pile on him, driving their knees into his back and wrenching his arms and legs. One officer knees him in the ribs; another kicks him in the face.

“Stop resisting,” officers on the video yell, but Greene, his face pushed into the pavement, hasn’t resisted. He doesn’t even move — maybe can’t move — because he’s gone into diabetic shock caused by low blood sugar.

The video, recorded more than a year ago by a police car dashboard camera, was released Tuesday by Greene’s lawyers. The same night, the Henderson City Council approved a settlement of $158,500 for Greene. His wife received $99,000 from Henderson, which is just under the minimum amount that requires council approval.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers also participated in the traffic stop but do not appear to kick or knee Greene on the video. The state has agreed to pay $35,000 to Greene for a total of $292,500 between the two agencies.

It was a Highway Patrol vehicle camera that captured the incident.

CAUGHT ON TAPE

A Highway Patrol trooper enters the scene first, gun drawn, and kicks the driver’s window of Greene’s four-door sedan. After several moments, the trooper opens the door.

The trooper, his gun still raised, then gives Greene conflicting commands. He first tells him not to move, then tells him to come forward.

A second trooper quickly cuffs Greene’s wrist and pulls him from the car, which rolls forward until an officer stops it.

Greene flops to the ground, clearly dazed as five officers rush him. A sixth officer, with Henderson police, enters the frame late and delivers five well-placed kicks to Greene’s face.

“Stop resisting mother (expletive)!” one officer yells.

Greene doesn’t scream until a second Henderson officer knees him in the midsection — and then does it three more times. Greene was later treated for fractured ribs.

Police suspected Greene was intoxicated as he weaved among lanes about 4 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2010, and finally stopped his car near Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway in Henderson.

But that wasn’t the case, which they soon discovered after they searched Greene.

“Call in medical,” one officer says in the video. “We found some insulin in his pocket. … He’s semiconscious.”

“Let’s get medical out here. He’s a diabetic, he’s probably in shock,” the officer later tells dispatch.

Greene’s lawsuit said officers then forced him to stand by a patrol car in handcuffs and blow into a Breathalyzer, despite being injured. Paramedics later arrived and treated him for low blood sugar.

Greene was released without a citation, and officers apologized to him for “beating him up,” the lawsuit said.

He immediately went to a hospital, where he was treated for the broken ribs and the bruises to his hands, neck, face and scalp, the lawsuit said.

One of the harsher moments in the video comes near the end of the clip, when one officer can be heard laughing loudly.

One officer notes that Greene “was not a small guy.” An officer laughs and says, “I couldn’t take him by myself.”

OFFICERS NOT IDENTIFIED

None of the officers was named in the lawsuit, and authorities have not released their names.

Henderson police said a sergeant involved was disciplined. The sergeant remains employed with the department.

Greene’s lawyers were planning to hold a news conference today about the incident.

Greene’s case, while shocking, is not unique.

Alan Yatvin, a legal advocate for the American Diabetes Association and a Philadelphia attorney, said police across the country frequently mistake low blood sugar — called hypoglycemia when blood sugar is exceptionally low — for intoxication in people with diabetes.

A Web search on the issue returns dozens of video clips and stories similar to Greene’s.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include shakiness, dizziness, hunger, pale skin, moodiness, aggressive behavior, loss of consciousness and even seizures.

“You need police to be trained in what to look for,” Yatvin said. “The problem is, there’s no authority over all police departments. Every department has its own procedures, and states have different rules and training regimens.”

Henderson police said in a statement that the department’s use-of-force methods were modified after the Greene incident. The statement noted a 30 percent reduction in use-of-force incidents from 2010 to 2011. The specific policy changes were not detailed.

William Sousa, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said training for crisis issues is not consistent through departments. Some departments train every officer, and some departments train just a few.

And it is unknown how effective crisis training is, Sousa said.

“Anecdotal evidence is that even officers trained for this will come upon situations they have to diagnose quickly, and act quickly, and those result in cases where you have something (like Greene’s case),” he said.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes wear a bracelet indicating their condition, but “police still have to look,” Yatvin said.

It is unknown whether Greene was wearing a medical bracelet, but it wasn’t mentioned in the lawsuit.

Yatvin, who specializes in police misconduct cases, added that it is “very troubling” for the average citizen to think police could arrest or assault them because of a medical condition.

“I have a hard time imagining a scenario where it’s necessary to kick an unarmed man and break his ribs,” he said.

The scenario likely would not have been seen at all had the Highway Patrol camera not been rolling.

At the time of the incident, Henderson police did not have dashboard cameras. Those were added to Henderson police vehicles in June, more than eight months after the incident with Greene.

Such an event would not have been captured on video in Las Vegas because the Metropolitan Police Department doesn’t have cameras in cars.

Sousa said the trend with agencies has been moving toward dashboard cameras.

“It works both ways,” he said. “There’s usually resistance from officers at first, but as years go by it may become no big deal, because you get an objective recording that often helps the officers.”

This wasn’t the first high-profile incident involving a medical episode in Clark County. In both cases, the Highway Patrol was involved.

Las Vegas doctor Ryan Rich, 33, died in January 2008 after trooper Loren Lazoff used a Taser on him five times.

Rich’s vehicle had crashed into two vehicles and then the center median on Interstate 15.

Lazoff said Rich appeared intoxicated, dazed and was combative, but an autopsy later revealed he only had seizure medication in his system. Rich had been diagnosed with the seizure disorder shortly before he died.

The Clark County Coroner’s inquest jury ruled the death excusable.

Rich’s family sued Taser International last year. The Highway Patrol was not named in the lawsuit.

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Los Angeles County California Deputy Sheriff Brutally Beat Special Needs Woman On Bus – Threatened Soldier Who Caught It On Video

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – When Jermaine Green and his fiancee Violet Roberts got on a Metro bus in Bellflower Monday night, they took notice of another passenger.

“The lady got on the bus with a stroller full of pillows, she was very polite, said hello to everyone and sat down,” Green said.

At the next stop, two LA County sheriff’s deputies, one male and one female, boarded the bus and called the passenger by name.

“They said get off the bus. She then started cursing at (the female deputy). You could tell she had special needs. After that they grab her, she curses him out, calls him a big shot, next thing you know he gives her a big shot,” Green said.

“It was like they were tired of dealing with her so they didn’t try to talk to her or anything,” Roberts said.

“I couldn’t believe it. He seen me taping. He looked up at the camera a few times, and he still hit her like that, and I can’t believe he didn’t try to diffuse the situation at all,” Green said.

Green recently returned home from serving six years in the Army, including tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In the Army, they gave us extensive training for rules of engagement. There’s proper protocols and steps you take. This lady didn’t do anything, she wasn’t combative and he actually turned combative on her,” Green said.

Green claims the deputies then tried to intimidate him when he refused to hand over his cell phone.

“He comes to me and says you can be under arrest if you don’t give me that video,” Green said.

Green said the deputy then asked if he had any warrants.

“I said no, I’m a veteran, I just came back, I have six years, I have no record, and he said ‘We’ll see about that.'”

Why didn’t Green want to hand over this video to the deputies involved?

“I think they would try to cover it up. I think a lot of things get covered up and people need to come forward if they see something, report it because it can’t be fixed unless it’s brought to the public’s attention,” Green said.

A sheriff’s department spokesman told NBCLA over the phone the department would not comment on this case and would not look at the videotape, but the spokesman said the department does investigate all use of force claims.

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San Francisco California Police Attack Students Protesting Tuition Hikes

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – University of California students have clashed with police outside a meeting of the UC Board of Regents before its expected vote on another tuition increase.

UC spokesman Pete King says police arrested at least 16 protesters Wednesday who tried to cross a police barricade in San Francisco.

Christine Byon of the UC Students Association says a group of student protesters was pepper-sprayed.

Inside the meeting, several students urged the board to vote against the proposed 8 percent tuition increase.

UC officials say the fee hike is needed because the cash-strapped state has slashed funding to the 10-campus system.

The board is scheduled to vote on the tuition proposal Thursday.

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Woman Assaulted By Costco Employee For Bypassing Line At Door

Let’s say you’re in a rush after buying a fan at Costco. You look past the line packed with people and carts and spy a lone employee standing by the exit. Do you walk over and show your receipt? What’s the worst that could happen? Let’s ask Reader Shay.

“
On June 23, 2010 at the [redacted] Costco Center at around 11am I made a quick stop in to return a couple items and to pick a fan. Both the returns process and the checkout went wonderfully as usual. It only took me 2 minutes to get in line and pay for the one item I had.

However when I reached the exit door there was a line of 8 people with baskets of stuff waiting to get out the door. So I went to the other door which does have exit illuminated above it and showed the lady standing there my receipt and one item. She shook her head at me and pointed at the line. When I started to walk out the exit anyways she grabbed a hold of my arm and told me to go to the other line. I told her that I was already running late and the line was moving very slowly, so I continued out the exit. At this point her hand slipped off of my arm and she grabbed a hold of my purse. The first time I politely asked her to let go of me, to which she promptly ignored me. So I continued to walk out the door as she still held onto my purse, eventually grabbing onto it with a second hand and began tugging it. I finally started yelling at her to let go of me when we were in front of the exit area (directly center to both entrances). Even after people started stopping and staring at us, She continued to tug on my purse and would not let go no matter how loud I yelled. She finally let go when I knocked her hands off of my purse with pretty reasonable force.

I was honestly pretty shaken up over this. I really couldn’t believe someone would do this in a public place especially an employee of that store. I sat in my car for about 5 minutes and calmed down. Then I had to find the number for Costco, because no where on my receipt does it list a phone number. I finally got a hold of the stores assistant manger and explained what had happened. He was polite and apologetic and end up meeting me in front of the store so I could point out who had done this to me. He said that he would speak with this Employee and that the Store Manger would call me when he came in.

True to his word the store manger did give me a call a few hours later. He once again apologized for the situation. I explained to what had happened and he confirmed that the statement that the employee had to fill out stated exactly what I had told him.

I have also mailed a letter to the regional manger letting him know exactly what happen as well. This should have never happen to me and I will continue writing to members of Costco Management, to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. There should be a Zero Tolerance Policy for this type of employee behavior.
”

The lone employee may not have been a loss prevention officer, but that doesn’t excuse her from using common sense. Still, was Shay wrong for trying to cut the line? Should Costco do anything else? Let us know in the comments.

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Chattanooga Police Officer Det. Kenneth Freeman Suspended After Attacking Wal-Mart Greeter – Son Charged After Attacking His Girlfriend And Her Car

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE – The son of the city detective charged in the Collegedale Wal-Mart assault case is facing charges of his own in connection with an incident with his girlfriend.

Ralph Kenneth Freeman II, 27, of 6121 Sagefield Lane, Harrison, is charged with vandalism and theft under $500.

City police confirmed he is the son of Det. Kenneth Freeman, who was suspended for 28 days for shoving a 71-year-old Wal-Mart greeter who was trying to make a package check.

Police said the incident with the younger Freeman happened Tuesday at 4213 3rd Ave.

Ashley Houston said she and Freeman got into an argument. She said he was standing outside and she would not let him back in.

Ms. Houston said Freeman threw his drink in her faee through the screen door. She said she repeated that he was not getting back in.

She said Freeman proceeded to unscrew the antenna off her vehicle and began letting the air out of her tires. He told her if she did not let him in that “things will just get worse,” the report says.

Ms. Houston said Freeman grabbed the garbage can and dumped the trash on the back porch.

He then got her barbeque grill and threw it at her car, breaking the front passenger window.

She said, before leaving on foot, he removed her tag from the car.

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Chattanooga Police Officer Det. Kenneth Freeman Suspended After Attacking Wal-Mart Greeter – Son Charged After Attacking His Girlfriend And Her Car

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE – The son of the city detective charged in the Collegedale Wal-Mart assault case is facing charges of his own in connection with an incident with his girlfriend.

Ralph Kenneth Freeman II, 27, of 6121 Sagefield Lane, Harrison, is charged with vandalism and theft under $500.

City police confirmed he is the son of Det. Kenneth Freeman, who was suspended for 28 days for shoving a 71-year-old Wal-Mart greeter who was trying to make a package check.

Police said the incident with the younger Freeman happened Tuesday at 4213 3rd Ave.

Ashley Houston said she and Freeman got into an argument. She said he was standing outside and she would not let him back in.

Ms. Houston said Freeman threw his drink in her faee through the screen door. She said she repeated that he was not getting back in.

She said Freeman proceeded to unscrew the antenna off her vehicle and began letting the air out of her tires. He told her if she did not let him in that “things will just get worse,” the report says.

Ms. Houston said Freeman grabbed the garbage can and dumped the trash on the back porch.

He then got her barbeque grill and threw it at her car, breaking the front passenger window.

She said, before leaving on foot, he removed her tag from the car.

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Lawsuit Charges Trigger-Happy Carmel Indiana Police Officer Matthew Kinkade With Repeated Taser Weapon Attack On 90 Pound 14 Year Old Boy

CARMEL, INDIANA – A middle-school student with autism was Tased twice by a Carmel police officer, according to a lawsuit filed by the boy’s parents against the Police Department, one of its officers and a local school district.

According to the suit, the electrical bursts temporarily knocked the 90-pound boy unconscious during a confrontation at Creekside Middle School. The boy, who was 14 at the time, was taken to a local hospital before being released to his mother.
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The suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, seeks damages for medical expenses, pain, suffering and mental anguish. The defendants are the Carmel Police Department, officer Matthew Kinkade and Carmel Clay Schools.

Carmel Clay Superintendent Barbara Underwood declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit. Efforts to contact Kinkade and a spokesman for the Carmel Police Department were not successful Thursday.

According to the lawsuit:

On March 11, the boy, who is not named in the complaint, was dropped off at Creekside by his mother, Dianne Bell, who called to tell school officials her son was going to be late.

At the end of the day, the boy was told he was going to receive detention. At that point, the boy, who is described as having “affective disorder and has been diagnosed with autism, manic-depressive disorder and bipolar disorder,” became “frustrated and began to act out.”

“During this outburst he is saying outrageous things,” said the Bells’ attorney, Ronald Frazier, noting that the boy threatened to call members of his gang to retaliate against the teachers.

“They know there is no gang there,” Frazier said. “They know he has no way of acting on what he is saying. They are taking these idle threats and calling police.”

The Bells contend the school district failed to follow the guidelines they had set up to deal with the boy’s outbursts — techniques the family says would have given the boy a chance to cool off.

“When a child like (the Bells’ son) starts to have emotional problems, the (individual procedure) is supposed to be followed,” Frazier said. “It has specific steps that are to be taken in order to keep the child from melting totally down.”

Instead, school officials dialed 911.

Officer Kinkade arrived, according to the complaint, and reacted to the boy’s outbursts by grabbing him and forcing him to a bench in the school lobby.

When the physical force failed to control the 5-foot boy, Kinkade drew his Taser and shocked the boy two times until he lost consciousness, according to the complaint.

“Officer Kinkade used unreasonable and excessive force by failing to follow policies and procedures that were in place for dealing with autistic children,” the suit alleges.

Frazier contends in the suit that although school officials say they advised police about the boy’s condition, the Police Department says that’s not so.

The Police Department has an autism response team, but it was not dispatched. Kinkade is not a member of that team, according to the suit.

“Autistic children have a great difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they don’t understand social cues,” Frazier said. “(The Bell child) gets confronted with violence, with Tasers, and he is flipping out because of his sensory overload.”

The suit contends Carmel police were “grossly negligent in the training of Matthew Kinkade,” who joined the department in January 2006.

Noblesville Police Department Lt. Bruce Barnes, an instructor in the use of Tasers, said officers are trained to use the devices when lesser-force options are not available.

“You can use the Taser anytime anybody is punching, kicking or threatening to punch or kick,” Barnes said. “We can use it when we tell someone to do something, they refuse, lesser-force options are not available and they are a credible threat to you.”

Barnes declined to comment on whether the boy could have posed a credible threat to a police officer, saying he did not know the full circumstances of the incident.

Sheila Wolfe, director of the Indianapolis-based Autism Education and Training Center, said the reaction of school officials and the police officer agitated the boy.

“You need to step away and leave them alone so that they can decompress,” said Wolfe, who has an autistic son in middle school in Carmel Clay. “I have a hard time believing that a trained officer would Taser a child with a disability if they fully understood the situation they were walking into.

“I know from experience that the people in Carmel (Clay schools) know better. As a school system, they have the expertise and they have the people available that know better. I’m surprised.”

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Lawsuit Charges Trigger-Happy Carmel Indiana Police Officer Matthew Kinkade With Repeated Taser Weapon Attack On 90 Pound 14 Year Old Boy

CARMEL, INDIANA – A middle-school student with autism was Tased twice by a Carmel police officer, according to a lawsuit filed by the boy’s parents against the Police Department, one of its officers and a local school district.

According to the suit, the electrical bursts temporarily knocked the 90-pound boy unconscious during a confrontation at Creekside Middle School. The boy, who was 14 at the time, was taken to a local hospital before being released to his mother.
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The suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, seeks damages for medical expenses, pain, suffering and mental anguish. The defendants are the Carmel Police Department, officer Matthew Kinkade and Carmel Clay Schools.

Carmel Clay Superintendent Barbara Underwood declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit. Efforts to contact Kinkade and a spokesman for the Carmel Police Department were not successful Thursday.

According to the lawsuit:

On March 11, the boy, who is not named in the complaint, was dropped off at Creekside by his mother, Dianne Bell, who called to tell school officials her son was going to be late.

At the end of the day, the boy was told he was going to receive detention. At that point, the boy, who is described as having “affective disorder and has been diagnosed with autism, manic-depressive disorder and bipolar disorder,” became “frustrated and began to act out.”

“During this outburst he is saying outrageous things,” said the Bells’ attorney, Ronald Frazier, noting that the boy threatened to call members of his gang to retaliate against the teachers.

“They know there is no gang there,” Frazier said. “They know he has no way of acting on what he is saying. They are taking these idle threats and calling police.”

The Bells contend the school district failed to follow the guidelines they had set up to deal with the boy’s outbursts — techniques the family says would have given the boy a chance to cool off.

“When a child like (the Bells’ son) starts to have emotional problems, the (individual procedure) is supposed to be followed,” Frazier said. “It has specific steps that are to be taken in order to keep the child from melting totally down.”

Instead, school officials dialed 911.

Officer Kinkade arrived, according to the complaint, and reacted to the boy’s outbursts by grabbing him and forcing him to a bench in the school lobby.

When the physical force failed to control the 5-foot boy, Kinkade drew his Taser and shocked the boy two times until he lost consciousness, according to the complaint.

“Officer Kinkade used unreasonable and excessive force by failing to follow policies and procedures that were in place for dealing with autistic children,” the suit alleges.

Frazier contends in the suit that although school officials say they advised police about the boy’s condition, the Police Department says that’s not so.

The Police Department has an autism response team, but it was not dispatched. Kinkade is not a member of that team, according to the suit.

“Autistic children have a great difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they don’t understand social cues,” Frazier said. “(The Bell child) gets confronted with violence, with Tasers, and he is flipping out because of his sensory overload.”

The suit contends Carmel police were “grossly negligent in the training of Matthew Kinkade,” who joined the department in January 2006.

Noblesville Police Department Lt. Bruce Barnes, an instructor in the use of Tasers, said officers are trained to use the devices when lesser-force options are not available.

“You can use the Taser anytime anybody is punching, kicking or threatening to punch or kick,” Barnes said. “We can use it when we tell someone to do something, they refuse, lesser-force options are not available and they are a credible threat to you.”

Barnes declined to comment on whether the boy could have posed a credible threat to a police officer, saying he did not know the full circumstances of the incident.

Sheila Wolfe, director of the Indianapolis-based Autism Education and Training Center, said the reaction of school officials and the police officer agitated the boy.

“You need to step away and leave them alone so that they can decompress,” said Wolfe, who has an autistic son in middle school in Carmel Clay. “I have a hard time believing that a trained officer would Taser a child with a disability if they fully understood the situation they were walking into.

“I know from experience that the people in Carmel (Clay schools) know better. As a school system, they have the expertise and they have the people available that know better. I’m surprised.”

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Chattanooga Tennessee Police Officer Det. Kenneth Freeman Not Charged After Attacking Elderly Wal-Mart Greeter And A Customer – Previously Involved In An Attack On A Lawyer In Courthouse

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE – Chattanooga Police Det. Kenneth Freeman will not face charges in an incident in which he shoved a 71-year-old greeter at the Wal-Mart in Collegedale to the floor after he tried to stop him while doing a receipts check.

Collegedale Police declined to bring charges, then the employee, Bill Walker, filled out a complaint himself. Collegedale Judge Kevin Wilson has reviewed the complaint and did not issue an assault charge.

In the incident on Christmas Eve, Mr. Walker said an alarm went off when Det. Freeman and another city police officer, Edwin McPherson, were leaving the store.

He said he reached to try to stop Det. Freeman and he was pushed against a soft drink machine and to the floor. He said the officer then hovered over him as he lay on the floor.

A police report says a customer then told Det. Freeman, “You can’t push down an old man” and began struggling with him. It says Det. Freeman then shoved that man, Gholom Ghassedi, through a glass door. Officers found Mr. Ghassedi with blood on his neck, but he declined medical treatment.

Sgt. McPherson broke up the fight between Det. Freeman and Mr. Ghassedi.

Rick Watkins of Wal-Mart said an alarm was sounded when the 48-year-old Freeman walked by, causing Mr. Walker to try to stop him. Sgt. McPherson had already stopped for a receipt check.

An officer from the Chattanooga Police Department’s Internal Affairs division arrived at the scene to look into the incident.

Cpl. Larry Robbins Jr. of the Collegedale Police said he decided not to bring assault charges against Det. Freeman, saying the incident was a misdemeanor not committed in the presence of an officer, there were no injuries requiring medical attention, the suspect is not a flight risk, and “there were no other crimes committed along with the possible simple assault.”

He said the investigation would be ongoing, but he said he “was unable to determine at the scene that there was any intent to commit an assault.”

Collegedale Officer Paul Crosby said when he arrived at the scene he found a large group of people gathered outside the door of the store. He said some “were obviously angry and were pointing fingers and yelling.”

He said one man was “livid” and was pointing his finger at Det. Freeman while saying, “You are a police officer? Shame on you.”

Det. Freeman was involved in a scuffle with attorney Lloyd Levitt at the Courts Building in May 2007.

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Chattanooga Tennessee Police Officer Det. Kenneth Freeman Not Charged After Attacking Elderly Wal-Mart Greeter And A Customer – Previously Involved In An Attack On A Lawyer In Courthouse

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE – Chattanooga Police Det. Kenneth Freeman will not face charges in an incident in which he shoved a 71-year-old greeter at the Wal-Mart in Collegedale to the floor after he tried to stop him while doing a receipts check.

Collegedale Police declined to bring charges, then the employee, Bill Walker, filled out a complaint himself. Collegedale Judge Kevin Wilson has reviewed the complaint and did not issue an assault charge.

In the incident on Christmas Eve, Mr. Walker said an alarm went off when Det. Freeman and another city police officer, Edwin McPherson, were leaving the store.

He said he reached to try to stop Det. Freeman and he was pushed against a soft drink machine and to the floor. He said the officer then hovered over him as he lay on the floor.

A police report says a customer then told Det. Freeman, “You can’t push down an old man” and began struggling with him. It says Det. Freeman then shoved that man, Gholom Ghassedi, through a glass door. Officers found Mr. Ghassedi with blood on his neck, but he declined medical treatment.

Sgt. McPherson broke up the fight between Det. Freeman and Mr. Ghassedi.

Rick Watkins of Wal-Mart said an alarm was sounded when the 48-year-old Freeman walked by, causing Mr. Walker to try to stop him. Sgt. McPherson had already stopped for a receipt check.

An officer from the Chattanooga Police Department’s Internal Affairs division arrived at the scene to look into the incident.

Cpl. Larry Robbins Jr. of the Collegedale Police said he decided not to bring assault charges against Det. Freeman, saying the incident was a misdemeanor not committed in the presence of an officer, there were no injuries requiring medical attention, the suspect is not a flight risk, and “there were no other crimes committed along with the possible simple assault.”

He said the investigation would be ongoing, but he said he “was unable to determine at the scene that there was any intent to commit an assault.”

Collegedale Officer Paul Crosby said when he arrived at the scene he found a large group of people gathered outside the door of the store. He said some “were obviously angry and were pointing fingers and yelling.”

He said one man was “livid” and was pointing his finger at Det. Freeman while saying, “You are a police officer? Shame on you.”

Det. Freeman was involved in a scuffle with attorney Lloyd Levitt at the Courts Building in May 2007.

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Nutcase Palm Beach County Florida Deputy Sheriff Oscar Maturana Arrested, Suspended, And Charged After Attacking Singing Man, Pulling Gun Outside Nightclub, Threatening To "Bust A Cap" In Security Guard And Customers, And Fleeing The Scene

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA — A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy pulled out a gun outside a local night club, pointed it at a security guard and other customers and threatened to “bust a cap” in them, an arrest report said.

Deputy Oscar Maturana was arrested shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday after he waved his gun, yelled threats and tried to flee the scene west of Lake Worth, with three other men, according to a Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit. He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail, where a judge set bail at $100,000, jail records show.

Maturana was also placed on administrative leave while the agency’s internal affairs unit conducts its own investigation, said Col. Mike Gauger, director of law enforcement operations.

Maturana, 35, joined the Sheriff’s Office in January 2007, when he was hired and sent to the police academy for six months of training, his personnel file shows. A former truck driver, Maturana’s previous job was working security at a West Palm Beach strip club.

According to the report, Maturana and another man arrived at the La Isla Del Encanto night club on South Military Trail shortly before 3 a.m. Maturana identified himself to the guard as a deputy. The other man, identified only as Anthony, said he owned a nearby club.

The two had a few drinks, left and returned about 15 minutes later with two other men, witnesses said. Anthony and another man went inside and assaulted a man who was on stage singing. As the guard intervened, a fight broke out, which soon spread outside where Maturana was, the report said.

Witnesses said Maturana pulled out a gun and told the guard to back up or “I’ll bust a cap” in him, the report said.

The guard said Maturana “also began to point the gun at customers who were outside as well, telling them, ‘I’ll bust a cap” in all of them, the report said.

The four sped away, but deputies stopped them on Military Trail.

The security guard told deputies he “was in fear for his life.” Maturana faces one charge of aggravated assault with a firearm without intent to kill.

On his job application, Maturana listed work experience that showed him jumping from job to job during the last decade. He wrote that he was terminated in 2002 from a driver/sales job at a West Palm Beach beer distribution company, for “improper sales documentation” and had been disciplined by the same employer for “improper count of merchandise.”

Maturana also reported that from 2000 to 2005, he received seven traffic tickets.

A handwritten note on Maturana’s personnel file, signed “Col. G.,” reads: “Eric, see about moving this forward.”

Gauger said Monday he brought Maturana to the agency after they met through an acquaintance and Gauger realized Maturana spoke fluent Spanish. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw wanted to expand the agency’s minority representation, he said.

Gauger said he wrote the note to a recruiter early in the hiring process. Maturana still had to pass the interview and evaluation process.

“He was bilingual,” Gauger said. ‘He was not a personal friend of mine … I met him a couple of times through an acquaintance and he wanted to be a deputy Sheriff.”

“We have a very large Hispanic community and always look to add those who can represent minority communities,” he added. “Sometimes we make exceptions because they fit into categories that you are trying to make inroads with in your agency.”

Maturana lives in Palm Springs, where neighbors Monday described him as affable and responsible and said they were shocked by his arrest.

“I am just stumped,” said Cheryl Phillips, a neighbor of Maturana’s for about three years. “I’ve never known the guy to do anything wrong.”

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Nutcase Palm Beach County Florida Deputy Sheriff Oscar Maturana Arrested, Suspended, And Charged After Attacking Singing Man, Pulling Gun Outside Nightclub, Threatening To "Bust A Cap" In Security Guard And Customers, And Fleeing The Scene

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA — A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy pulled out a gun outside a local night club, pointed it at a security guard and other customers and threatened to “bust a cap” in them, an arrest report said.

Deputy Oscar Maturana was arrested shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday after he waved his gun, yelled threats and tried to flee the scene west of Lake Worth, with three other men, according to a Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit. He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail, where a judge set bail at $100,000, jail records show.

Maturana was also placed on administrative leave while the agency’s internal affairs unit conducts its own investigation, said Col. Mike Gauger, director of law enforcement operations.

Maturana, 35, joined the Sheriff’s Office in January 2007, when he was hired and sent to the police academy for six months of training, his personnel file shows. A former truck driver, Maturana’s previous job was working security at a West Palm Beach strip club.

According to the report, Maturana and another man arrived at the La Isla Del Encanto night club on South Military Trail shortly before 3 a.m. Maturana identified himself to the guard as a deputy. The other man, identified only as Anthony, said he owned a nearby club.

The two had a few drinks, left and returned about 15 minutes later with two other men, witnesses said. Anthony and another man went inside and assaulted a man who was on stage singing. As the guard intervened, a fight broke out, which soon spread outside where Maturana was, the report said.

Witnesses said Maturana pulled out a gun and told the guard to back up or “I’ll bust a cap” in him, the report said.

The guard said Maturana “also began to point the gun at customers who were outside as well, telling them, ‘I’ll bust a cap” in all of them, the report said.

The four sped away, but deputies stopped them on Military Trail.

The security guard told deputies he “was in fear for his life.” Maturana faces one charge of aggravated assault with a firearm without intent to kill.

On his job application, Maturana listed work experience that showed him jumping from job to job during the last decade. He wrote that he was terminated in 2002 from a driver/sales job at a West Palm Beach beer distribution company, for “improper sales documentation” and had been disciplined by the same employer for “improper count of merchandise.”

Maturana also reported that from 2000 to 2005, he received seven traffic tickets.

A handwritten note on Maturana’s personnel file, signed “Col. G.,” reads: “Eric, see about moving this forward.”

Gauger said Monday he brought Maturana to the agency after they met through an acquaintance and Gauger realized Maturana spoke fluent Spanish. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw wanted to expand the agency’s minority representation, he said.

Gauger said he wrote the note to a recruiter early in the hiring process. Maturana still had to pass the interview and evaluation process.

“He was bilingual,” Gauger said. ‘He was not a personal friend of mine … I met him a couple of times through an acquaintance and he wanted to be a deputy Sheriff.”

“We have a very large Hispanic community and always look to add those who can represent minority communities,” he added. “Sometimes we make exceptions because they fit into categories that you are trying to make inroads with in your agency.”

Maturana lives in Palm Springs, where neighbors Monday described him as affable and responsible and said they were shocked by his arrest.

“I am just stumped,” said Cheryl Phillips, a neighbor of Maturana’s for about three years. “I’ve never known the guy to do anything wrong.”

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