Post by Champs Elysees on May 7, 2008 14:14:50 GMT -5
Video shows police beating restrained suspects
www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/07/police.beating/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
(CNN) -- An internal investigation is under way into the videotaped beatings of three men by several Philadelphia police officers, according to Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
Aerial footage from WTXF shows police officers beating suspects in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The video, shot by WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shows at least a dozen police officers pulling the men -- who were suspected to have been involved in a shooting -- out of a car after a vehicle chase Monday night.
At least eight officers are seen either kicking, punching or striking the suspects with batons while the men lie restrained on the ground.
Two men are struck at least 20 times each.
"The video kind of speaks for itself," Ramsey told WTXF-TV's "Good Day Philadelphia" on Tuesday. A helicopter videotaped the incident.
The men were believed to have been involved in a triple shooting at a street corner, Ramsey said. A fourth man, the suspected gunman, escaped on foot, he said.
The police officers, part of the 25th District Narcotic Enforcement Team, were on surveillance when they witnessed the shootings, the commissioner said.
The district attorney's office also is involved in the investigation, Ramsey said.
"Unfortunately, what you're looking at now is what's under investigation," the commissioner said of the videotape. "The level of force is only that necessary in order to effect an arrest. So obviously, I'm disappointed at what I'm looking at, but that's why we have investigations."
After seeing the videotape, the mother of one of the men arrested said, "I just burst out and cried. I was appalled by it."
Leomia Dyches, another suspect's mother, said she's been unable to see her son, Lionel Dwayne Dyches, 24, since his arrest.
"They wouldn't even permit his attorney to see him," she said. "They're hiding him. It strikes me as strange."
Ramsey said the police force has been under stress since last weekend's slaying of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, who was shot and killed with an assault rifle Saturday while responding to a bank robbery.
Police killed one suspect in the shooting and arrested another. A third suspect is at large.
Ramsey said the police officers involved in the beatings have been reassigned. Authorities want to know whether their emotions over Liczbinski's death played a role in their actions.
Stress levels among officers on the street are "simply too high," and the department aims to eliminate 12-hour shifts, Ramsey said.
www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/07/police.beating/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
(CNN) -- An internal investigation is under way into the videotaped beatings of three men by several Philadelphia police officers, according to Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
Aerial footage from WTXF shows police officers beating suspects in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The video, shot by WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shows at least a dozen police officers pulling the men -- who were suspected to have been involved in a shooting -- out of a car after a vehicle chase Monday night.
At least eight officers are seen either kicking, punching or striking the suspects with batons while the men lie restrained on the ground.
Two men are struck at least 20 times each.
"The video kind of speaks for itself," Ramsey told WTXF-TV's "Good Day Philadelphia" on Tuesday. A helicopter videotaped the incident.
The men were believed to have been involved in a triple shooting at a street corner, Ramsey said. A fourth man, the suspected gunman, escaped on foot, he said.
The police officers, part of the 25th District Narcotic Enforcement Team, were on surveillance when they witnessed the shootings, the commissioner said.
The district attorney's office also is involved in the investigation, Ramsey said.
"Unfortunately, what you're looking at now is what's under investigation," the commissioner said of the videotape. "The level of force is only that necessary in order to effect an arrest. So obviously, I'm disappointed at what I'm looking at, but that's why we have investigations."
After seeing the videotape, the mother of one of the men arrested said, "I just burst out and cried. I was appalled by it."
Leomia Dyches, another suspect's mother, said she's been unable to see her son, Lionel Dwayne Dyches, 24, since his arrest.
"They wouldn't even permit his attorney to see him," she said. "They're hiding him. It strikes me as strange."
Ramsey said the police force has been under stress since last weekend's slaying of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, who was shot and killed with an assault rifle Saturday while responding to a bank robbery.
Police killed one suspect in the shooting and arrested another. A third suspect is at large.
Ramsey said the police officers involved in the beatings have been reassigned. Authorities want to know whether their emotions over Liczbinski's death played a role in their actions.
Stress levels among officers on the street are "simply too high," and the department aims to eliminate 12-hour shifts, Ramsey said.
