fullerton california, police murder homeless man

[shermanator 4]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ljYNgLnpxM

this video is witnesses getting on a bus, immediately following the beatdown. These people had no time to fabricate a 'we hate the cops so make them look bad' story.

This is police corruption, going all the way up the chain, and it is scary.

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[quade 4]

Unfiltered video like that can only tell a part of the story and the title of this thread is also misleading. They didn't "murder" the man. The man died five days later, but so far no official cause of death has been released that I'm aware of.

The incident happened at the train/bus depot in the reasonably middle class area of downtown Fullerton. When I say reasonably, I mean just that. It's not the worst place in SoCal by any means, but it also has pockets of poverty next to pockets of prosperity. This section is close to the interface of both. Safe during the day, but sketchy at night if you walk on the wrong block. I know the area -extremely- well.

Kids living in that area would not need to have to fabricate a "'we hate the cops so make them look bad' story" because for some living in that area, that would simply be their normal view of the world. Whether or not that actually applies to the kids in the video I can't say, but straight up odds of kids that typically would hang around the train/bus station at that time of night I'd put at 50/50. BTW, there's really not a lot of train or bus service after 8ish and this is clearly after that since it's dark in the video. In the middle of July that's at least 9ish, but obviously it could be much later. I simply don't know.

Is any of that an excuse for a beating? No. Then again, we haven't heard word one from the cop's point of view yet.

More info from a local paper.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/thomas-310255-kelly-ron.html?cb=1312142672

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[jumpsalot-2 3]

You can't see anything in the video. The question is what did this guy do to have five cars after him ? Also, when a cop says lay belly down and put your hands behind your back....you do it right then. If you want to fight back, good for you and you get what you deserve.

Life is short ... jump often.

[jclalor 12]

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If you want to fight back, good for you and you get what you deserve.

[quade 4]

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I too have always thought resisting arrest should be a capital offense.

Well, considering your avatar . . .

But seriously, no. Compliance measures, yes though.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[shermanator 4]

From what I am hearing, it is as bad as it sounds. There is clear video , just not available to the public. Police dispatch were watching live, and zoomed in.

At what point, after the homeless man was on the ground, passed out, and not moving, should the cop have stopped hitting the guy in the head with the back of his taser?

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[quade 4]

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From what I am hearing . . .

Hearing from where? I haven't heard anything like what you've suggested.

Here's a local news aggregator site with a couple of stories and an interesting opinion piece on its front page right now.

http://fullertonstories.com/

The opinion piece;
http://fullertonstories.com/opinion-when-worlds-collide/

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Southern_Man 0]

Clearly those teens should be arrested for interfering with official police business. Possibly also violating wiretapping statutes.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[billvon 3,080]

>his video is witnesses getting on a bus, immediately following the beatdown. These
>people had no time to fabricate a 'we hate the cops so make them look bad' story.

It's a video of police cars with some people walking around.

[shermanator 4]

I mustang posted the wrong link. I'll fix when I get home

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[quade 4]

LA Times - August 2
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/fatal-fullerton-police-beating-of-homeless-man-sparks-outcry.html

Includes video news report from KTLA including on-bus-footage taken of passengers reacting to the events not previously seen in this forum discussion.

I took the train into work this morning and there were a couple of news trucks, a small bunch of balloons and flowers at the bus part of the complex where I believe this happened. No doubt more new reports will be filed today, but we still haven't really heard the cops side of this or official word on the cause of death.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[normiss 858]

THIS is what you get for "resisting"???

I cannot imagine how you beat the fuck out of ANYONE to this degree. How many highly trained, heavily armed, guys twice your size does it take to restrain someone anyway???

This is murder IMO.

[baronn 111]

Cleqrly a case of bullies with a badge. Every time I have been involved in an altercation, I stop when submission has been achieved. that's what training does. These thugs have none. the law needs to be applied to those that caused this. Irregardless of whether they wear a badge. Fuckin assholes.

[DougH 270]

If you have multiple officers is there even a need to strike the guy like that to achieve submission?

Not trying to arm chair QB, just wondering.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[quade 4]

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If you have multiple officers is there even a need to strike the guy like that to achieve submission?

Not trying to arm chair QB, just wondering.

Here's the issue . . . we don't know yet. According to a news report I found from July 11, before this all blew up on the internet, the man injured two of the officers.

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Police found Thomas when they responded to calls about a man trying to break into cars in a parking lot next to the bus deport on the 100 block of South Pomona Avenue. As officers tried to search him, he ran and then began fighting them. Two police officers were also injured, said Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich.

Source; http://fullertonstories.com/kelly-thomas-removed-from-life-support/

It's injuring the fellow officers that may have sent things over the edge.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Amazon 7]

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If you have multiple officers is there even a need to strike the guy like that to achieve submission?

Not trying to arm chair QB, just wondering.

Here's the issue . . . we don't know yet. According to a news report I found from July 11, before this all blew up on the internet, the man injured two of the officers.

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Police found Thomas when they responded to calls about a man trying to break into cars in a parking lot next to the bus deport on the 100 block of South Pomona Avenue. As officers tried to search him, he ran and then began fighting them. Two police officers were also injured, said Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich.

Source; http://fullertonstories.com/kelly-thomas-removed-from-life-support/

It's injuring the fellow officers that may have sent things over the edge.

He clearly needed an ass whoopin... ain't that the way the gang in blue deal with skells, perps, and scum bags?

[DougH 270]

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Quote

If you have multiple officers is there even a need to strike the guy like that to achieve submission?

Not trying to arm chair QB, just wondering.

Here's the issue . . . we don't know yet. According to a news report I found from July 11, before this all blew up on the internet, the man injured two of the officers.

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Police found Thomas when they responded to calls about a man trying to break into cars in a parking lot next to the bus deport on the 100 block of South Pomona Avenue. As officers tried to search him, he ran and then began fighting them. Two police officers were also injured, said Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich.

Source; http://fullertonstories.com/kelly-thomas-removed-from-life-support/

It's injuring the fellow officers that may have sent things over the edge.

Good thing he didn't have a CCW permit. Then he really would have deserved his asswhooping.

I don't think that is a good justification, but we will see when more information leaks out.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[quade 4]

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I don't think that is a good justification, but we will see when more information leaks out.

Sometimes I have to say that I don't condone a person's actions, but I understand them.

Depending on the extent of how much of a fight the guy put up and how badly he injured the officers, I can understand a punch or two to the face in the middle of that. Maybe even a baton strike or two. It's REALLY hard to say without knowing the cop's side of the story.

Now . . . once the guy is on the ground and cuffed . . . yeah, that becomes something entirely different. But like I said, we just don't know yet.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[quade 4]

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Good thing he didn't have a CCW permit. Then he really would have deserved his asswhooping.

Not trying to derail this particular thread, but nobody got their asswhooped in that recent case -- just, uh, "strongly talked to."

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[normiss 858]

I have read accounts that refer to the video that has yet to be released - oddly in the middle of a "transparent and open investigation" - that when there were five cops on him, pinned to the ground, the one with the tazer repeatedly hits the victim in the back of his head with the butt of the tazer until blood is clearly seen on the video. Slinging blood from the swinging motion of repeatedly bashing in his skull.

Felony assault.
Felony assault with a deadly weapon.
Murder.

Should be a few more charges by the time the FBI completes their investigation!

[quade 4]

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I have read accounts that refer to the video that has yet to be released - oddly in the middle of a "transparent and open investigation" - that when there were five cops on him, pinned to the ground, the one with the tazer repeatedly hits the victim in the back of his head with the butt of the tazer until blood is clearly seen on the video. Slinging blood from the swinging motion of repeatedly bashing in his skull.

Felony assault.
Felony assault with a deadly weapon.
Murder.

Should be a few more charges by the time the FBI completes their investigation!

Maybe, maybe not . . . at this point all -we- have to go on is hearsay.

I would think that if the skull had been bashed in, that would have come out in a coroner's report.

Here's an article from the OC Register that says;

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During the scuffle, Kelly Thomas suffered head and neck injuries and was taken to UCI.
Two officers suffered moderate injuries during the fight, including broken bones.

Source; http://www.ocregister.com/articles/officers-307960-thomas-beating.html

Yet it doesn't mention Thomas as having his skull bashed in. In fact, the coroner says the autopsy was inconclusive. You'd think a fractured skull would be pretty good evidence and difficult to miss, but it's not mentioned.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[normiss 858]

You do realize the cops, the DA, and the coroner are all on the same team don't you???


Of course it's "inconclusive" at this point. The FBI has their nose's in it. Would YOU try to trump their investigation?

[quade 4]

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You do realize the cops, the DA, and the coroner are all on the same team don't you???

Fairly certain they've been pretty forthcoming about this whole thing so far. There's not a whiff of coverup. They started their own investigation into this well before the situation blew up on the internet and the FBI was also involved before that time.

Coverups are far more trouble than they're worth.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[normiss 858]

You obviously missed the connection between a few police departments, current leadership, and the DA's office.

[doughboyshred 0]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ljYNgLnpxM

this video is witnesses getting on a bus, immediately following the beatdown. These people had no time to fabricate a 'we hate the cops so make them look bad' story.

This is police corruption, going all the way up the chain, and it is scary.

I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYJi3lgXLBU&feature=player_embedded#at=52 was the link you intended to post.

Fucked up situation. These cops need to go down.