Court shown fatal US police beating video - 10May12 - All Languages
Two US police officers have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a mentally ill homeless man following a violent arrest last summer....
Two US police officers have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a mentally ill homeless man following a violent arrest last summer.
California's Orange County Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm made the ruling after a hearing that included surveillance video of the confrontation between the officers and 37-year-old Kelly Thomas in the city of Fullerton.
Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Jay Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault or battery by a public officer. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The officers confronted Thomas while responding to reports that a homeless man was looking into parked cars at a transit center.
"This is another victory, on another battle," said Thomas' father, Ron. "We're going to start a new one with the trial."
John Barnett, Ramos' attorney, said he would seek another court's review of Schwarm's ruling and did not expect his client would end up facing a jury trial.
"We're disappointed that they were held to answer but we will seek review in an appropriate manner," he told reporters after the ruling. "He believes, and he is innocent."
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said during the hearing that Ramos bullied a shirtless Thomas with his menacing remarks and aggressive stance — actions that would have led anyone to fear they were about to get beaten by police.
"Any person, any creature on this earth would have fear at that point," Rackauckas told the court during the preliminary hearing.
"You're going to fight or flee because this is an imminent threat of a serious beating by a police officer who is there with a baton and a gun and other police officers.... This is going to be a very bad deal," the prosecutor said.
Defence attorneys countered that police — who are authorised and trained to use force when necessary — viewed the incident as an encounter with a man who refused to give his name and continued to resist arrest even as multiple officers rushed to assist.
The three-day hearing was marked by repeated showing of clips from surveillance video and audio recordings of the confrontation. The footage includes scenes of officers pummelling and pinning down Thomas as he screams that he can't breathe and moans for his father until he goes silent and is taken away by medics, leaving behind a pool of blood.
Barnett, Ramos' attorney, said during the hearing that the video — which was introduced by the prosecution — shows that his client made a conditional threat during his conversation with Thomas, stating he wanted the man to start listening and following police orders, such as sitting with his legs stretched out and providing his name to officers.
"All that Kelly Thomas had to do was simply comply," Barnett said. "Officer Ramos just lifts him up, he's going to arrest him. ... Not only can he do it, he must do it. He is bound to do it."
"Officer Ramos didn't do anything that should or could kill Kelly Thomas," Barnett said, pointing out that his client is often seen on the video at the man's feet.
Prosecutors have argued that Ramos punched Thomas in the ribs, tackled him and lay on him to hold him down while Cicinelli — who arrived later on the scene — used a Taser four times on Thomas as he hollered in pain and hit him in the face eight times with the Taser.
Thomas lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital. He was taken off life support and died five days later.
The coroner's office found that Thomas died from compression of his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe and deprived his brain of oxygen, and facial injuries stemming from his confrontation with law enforcement.
In court, Schwartz, Cicinelli's attorney, challenged those findings, noting that testimony by a paramedic who treated Thomas at the scene indicates that Thomas was breathing, although with difficulty, during the confrontation.
Schwartz also defended his client's use of the Taser on Thomas, who was still struggling and resisting officers' efforts to handcuff him, and said Cicinelli only swung the Taser at Thomas' hand when the man made an effort to grab the weapon.
"To call that a crime is to effectively handcuff our police officers out in the field from dealing with any combative suspect," Schwartz said.
The hearing in a Santa Ana courtroom was marked by lengthy testimony from medical experts and graphic photos of Thomas' injuries, including multiple bruises and a bloodied eye, while he was lying on the autopsy table.
Attorneys repeatedly played portions of the grainy surveillance video, which was paired with audio from digital recorders worn by some of the officers who were present and which brought some of Thomas' supporters to tears and prompted them to leave the courtroom.
The incident last July prompted an ongoing FBI investigation to determine if Thomas' civil rights were violated, an internal probe by the city, protests by residents and an effort to recall three Fullerton councilmembers that is slated for next month's ballot.
The recall was sparked after angry residents chastised the council members for failing to take significant action regarding the incident.
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US becoming a police state - Cindy Sheehan - Jun 14, 2011 - English
The United States is slowly turning into a 'police state' and people are being controlled more and more by police state apparatus, an American...
The United States is slowly turning into a 'police state' and people are being controlled more and more by police state apparatus, an American peace activist says.
"We have to go through full body X-ray machines to get on flights," Cindy Sheehan told Press TV's US desk on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, over a dozen SWAT -- Special Weapons and Tactics -- officers broke into a house in California and detained a man, handcuffed him, put him and his three children, aged 3, 7 and 11, in a cruiser and commenced to search his house, she said.
The man was questioned for hours, all because of his ex-wife's overdue student loans.
Sheehan described the incident as “oppressive.”
"Of course we have seen such [incidents]. When we had a demo at the G-20, the last one was in Pittsburg, and there were more heavily armed police officers… I myself was there. I got tear gassed, I got shot at with rubber bullets, chased by the police just for exercising our freedom of speech!"
"The most damning thing that shows that the United States is in the process of [a] police state is the recent passage of the USA Patriot Act which basically makes the Constitution of the United States null and void," said Sheehan.
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers.
The first SWAT team in the US was established in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968.
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[07 Oct 2012] Palestinian teen brutally assaulted by israeli police -...
Another tense day here in the old city of East Jerusalem Al Quds. While on our way to meet with the family of 16 year old Hasan Afifi who was...
Another tense day here in the old city of East Jerusalem Al Quds. While on our way to meet with the family of 16 year old Hasan Afifi who was arrested on Friday and brutally assaulted by Israeli police, we saw a group of Palestinian men sitting just outside one of the gates leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The group of men had just been denied entry to the Mosque by the Israeli police. While filming, Israeli police came up to us and instructed us not to film. Reluctantly we moved away few meters and took another position. Minutes after we spotted two under cover police men getting tipped off by the same policemen we encountered few minutes earlier.
The following images speak for themselves. The two under cover policemen walked towards the group men and uttered few words: why are you sitting here? immediately tempers flared and they approached one of the men and snatched him. There was no provocation from the side of the Palestinian men.
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[27 Oct 2013] Several killed as Bangladesh police open fire on...
In Bangladesh, clashes between police and protesters during a nationwide strike have led to the death of at least five people. Police say they...
In Bangladesh, clashes between police and protesters during a nationwide strike have led to the death of at least five people. Police say they opened fire on opposition supporters in the western town of Nagarkanda after they attacked police forces with bricks. The opposition has launched a three-day strike, asking the government to step down before the upcoming general elections. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-- B-N-P, led by Khaleda Zia says the ruling party should step aside ahead of the January polls. The opposition wants the elections to be held under a neutral caretaker government, to prevent vote rigging. Earlier attempts to cancel the strike failed. On Friday, clashes broke out between supporters of the opposition and the ruling party across the country, leaving several people dead and hundreds injured.
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[20 Nov 2013] Pakistan fires police chief over clashes in Rawalpindi -...
The Pakistani government has removed the Rawalpindi\'s Police Chief and Regional Police Officer from their posts over their failure to provide...
The Pakistani government has removed the Rawalpindi\'s Police Chief and Regional Police Officer from their posts over their failure to provide adequate security to the Moharram processions.
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Video: Police violently disperse protests in Paraguay - English
Thousands of people flooded the streets of Asuncion on Friday night, after the Paraguayan Senate voted to remove President Fernando Lugo from...
Thousands of people flooded the streets of Asuncion on Friday night, after the Paraguayan Senate voted to remove President Fernando Lugo from office. Riot police and military police officers on horseback moved in to control the crowds, who had gathered to condemn the impeachment trial. The Senate tried Lugo on five charges of malfeasance in office, including an alleged role in a deadly confrontation between police and landless farmers that left 17 dead.
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[18 July 13] Turkish police arrest 30 anti-government protesters - English
Turkish security police continue to detain and arrest anit-govenrment protesters in what many lawyers call witch-hunt for people with any links to...
Turkish security police continue to detain and arrest anit-govenrment protesters in what many lawyers call witch-hunt for people with any links to the Gezi protests. Since late May, the protesters have been calling for the downfall of the ruling AK Party led by Prime Minister Raccip Tayyip Erdogan.
The association of photographers says over one hundred photographers have been detained, or badly beaten as well. They have also had their photos erased by the police during the demos in Istanbul and Ankara. One photographer who accepted to talk to us on condition of anonymity says he had a yellow press ID card when the police attacked him.
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[30 Oct 2013] Police arrest senior Brotherhood Figure Essam al-Arian -...
In Egypt, police fire tear gas on a student rally in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi at Cairo\'s al-Azhar University.
The Egyptian...
In Egypt, police fire tear gas on a student rally in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi at Cairo\'s al-Azhar University.
The Egyptian interior ministry says eleven al-Azhar students and 14 others from other universities have been arrested. For several weeks now, the students have been demonstrating at the country\'s top institution for Islamic teachings against the army\'s ouster of the first democratically-elected president in early July. This, after the head of al-Azhar University had called on the police to enter campus grounds. Earlier, security forces arrested Essam al-Arian, a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure, after storming his house. Arian was the most senior Brotherhood figure on the run after the arrest of nearly all of the group\'s top leaders.
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[09 Dec 2013] Police clash with protesters in Western Sahara ahead of EU...
Moroccan police clash with protesters in the Western Sahara who were demonstrating against the planned renewal of an EU fishing accord.
The...
Moroccan police clash with protesters in the Western Sahara who were demonstrating against the planned renewal of an EU fishing accord.
The protesters, most of them women, carried signs reading stop taking our resources. Police attacked protesters using batons, beating and injuring many of them. Many of the injured were women and children. No arrests have been reported. The European Parliament is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a new four-year fishing agreement with Morocco that would allow more than 120 EU fishing boats to use the waters of Morocco and the Western Sahara. Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa. Most of the territory has been controlled by Morocco since 1991.
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[22 Dec 2013] Police clash with protesters in Istanbul over urban plans,...
Clashes have broken out between Turkish police and a group of protesters in Istanbul.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the...
Clashes have broken out between Turkish police and a group of protesters in Istanbul.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators. Protesters were angry at the government\\\\\\\'s urban plans and graft allegations involving several top ruling party politicians. Earlier, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to QUOTE break the hands of his opponents if they try to use the case against his government. Erdogan made the remark among his supporters in the north of the country. His ruling party has been in hot waters since twenty-four top officials were arrested as part of the corruption probe. Interior minister Muammar Guler has already tendered his resignation after the arrest of his son due to his involvement in the scandal.
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[27 Dec 2013] Riot police, anti-govt. protesters clash in Istanbul -...
Turkish riot police have attacked anti-government protesters with water cannons, tear gas, and plastic bullets in Istanbul.
The angry protesters...
Turkish riot police have attacked anti-government protesters with water cannons, tear gas, and plastic bullets in Istanbul.
The angry protesters were calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government. More than 30 people were arrested in the clashes around Istanbul\\\'s Taksim Square. Similar demonstrations were held in the city of Izmir, and in the capital, Ankara, where police also fired water cannons to disperse the crowds. Erdogan is facing mounting pressure over the accusations he is trying to cover up a corruption and bribery scandal that has implicated his allies. But the prime minister claims the corruption probe is a \\\"smear campaign\\\" mounted by obscure international forces in order to undermine his government and the country\\\'s economy.
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[30 Dec 2013] Fighting between Iraqi police, gunmen leaved over a dozen...
Clashes between police and gunmen at an anti-government protest camp in central Iraq have left over a dozen people dead.
The violence came after...
Clashes between police and gunmen at an anti-government protest camp in central Iraq have left over a dozen people dead.
The violence came after security forces were deployed to dismantle the camp in the city of Ramadi in Anbar province. Police sources say the clashes broke out when gunmen opened fire on security forces. At least ten gunmen and three policemen were killed. The defense ministry says the decision to remove the protest camp came after a deal reached between the ministry, tribal leaders and local government. Now, there are also reports of heavy gunfire in the city of Falouja in the same province. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had repeatedly vowed to remove the one-year-old camp accusing protesters of stirring strife and sheltering al-Qaeda-linked militants.
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[18 Feb 2014] At least 5 protesters are killed, and 150 others injured...
Deadly clashes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. At least five anti-government protesters are killed and scores of others-- including police...
Deadly clashes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. At least five anti-government protesters are killed and scores of others-- including police officers-- are injured.
Reports say over 47 police officers and 150 protesters were injured in the clashes. Violence erupted as protesters gathered outside the parliament building. Opposition lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to pass constitutional changes stripping President Viktor Yanukovych of some of his powers. A group of protesters also attacked the ruling-party headquarters. Russia blamed the policies of Western countries for the latest clashes between pro-E-U protesters and police. The E-U and the U-S on the one side and Russia on the other, have accused each other of interfering in Ukraine\'s internal affairs.
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Caught on camera - Lancashire police arrest amateur photographer -...
Bob Patefield used his video camera to record the moment police stopped him from taking photographs of Accrington town centre. He shows how the...
Bob Patefield used his video camera to record the moment police stopped him from taking photographs of Accrington town centre. He shows how the police claims he was engaging in anti-social behaviour led to his arrest
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Police Violence on ISO Rally against israel - 01 June 2010 - Gujrati and...
Police Voilence on ISO (Imamia Students Organization) rally against Israeli Crimes a Question for Pakistani Authority is this democracy or...
Police Voilence on ISO (Imamia Students Organization) rally against Israeli Crimes a Question for Pakistani Authority is this democracy or dictatorship. Shame on Pakistani Police!
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Scholar details US police brutality - 01Jul2010 - English
An Iranian-American university professor and senior political analyst, Kaveh Afrasiabi, has detailed US police brutality against him while in...
An Iranian-American university professor and senior political analyst, Kaveh Afrasiabi, has detailed US police brutality against him while in custody in Cambridge.
Speaking to Press TV in an exclusive interview on Thurday, Afrasiabi said that police denied him his constitutional rights and racially discriminated against him.
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Shia in deep crisis in Bahrain: Video of riot police attack on peaceful...
Witnesses say police in Bahrain have violently clashed with pro-democracy protesters during the "Day of Rage" rallies across the country....
Witnesses say police in Bahrain have violently clashed with pro-democracy protesters during the "Day of Rage" rallies across the country.
On Monday, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at hundreds of demonstrators in Karkazan, a Shia village south of the capital, Manama, AFP reported.
Security forces stepped up their presence with helicopters circling over Manama.
At least 14 people were wounded in overnight and Monday clashes.
Activists, inspired by revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, have dubbed Monday "the Day of Rage" to express disappointment at the political reforms of the past decade, which have failed to bring prosperity and real change.
The majority Shia population in Bahrain has been complaining about inequality and oppression. The government has been clamping down on the opposition since the country's controversial general elections in August last year.
Since late Sunday, Bahrain's security forces have been patrolling shopping centers and other locations to monitor people's movements amid calls by opposition groups for pro-democracy protests.
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Europe: Why has the threat of the far Right been ignored by police? 30...
Following the horrific terrorist attack in Norway, we would like to look at how there is an emergence of the far right taking place in Europe which...
Following the horrific terrorist attack in Norway, we would like to look at how there is an emergence of the far right taking place in Europe which is not being taken seriously enough.
There is a growing sense of unease in Norway that police failed to spot the warning signs which led to the horrific massacre of 98 innocent people. Now police forces across Europe and America are being asked to examine the threat posed by right-wing groups which have flourished in a recession-driven climate fuelled by Islamophobia.
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***SHOCKING*** Woman tasered to brain death by Florida Police -...
In the US, a twenty-year-old woman has been left in a coma after being tasered by a Florida police officer while handcuffed. Doctors say the woman...
In the US, a twenty-year-old woman has been left in a coma after being tasered by a Florida police officer while handcuffed. Doctors say the woman was left brain dead during the incident and will likely never wake up.
The police officer involved in the incident has been cleared of any wrongdoing. This comes as the United States is under increasing fire over its use of the electro-shock weapon.
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