Cop Pulls Gun on Crowd While Beating an Unarmed Mentally Ill Man (Video)
by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
Vallejo, CA — Dramatic video of a police beating was uploaded to YouTube this weekend which is the subject of intense controversy as it shows a cop beat a mentally ill man for seemingly no reason.
According to witnesses, on Friday, a man began acting ‘crazy’ in a gas station. When a police officer showed up, the man ran and a foot chase ensued. There was never a struggle, however.
Finally, the man, who looked like he was in the midst of a mental breakdown, stopped, sat down, and appeared to have surrendered. Instead of simply handcuffing the man, however, the officer tackled him.
In the video, we see the Vallejo police officer attack the man who is posing no threat and surrendering. As the blows from the officer’s fists increase so does the discontent from the crowd. Apparently unsatisfied with the use of his fists, the officer pulls out his flashlight and begins bludgeoning the mentally ill man’s face and arms.
This alleged brutality causes witnesses to the situation to become enraged. Onlookers began yelling at the cop, calling the situation “Police Brutality.” This backlash from the crowd caused the officer to think about pulling out his pistol. However, after putting his hand on his weapon, he thought twice and then quickly went back to beating the man with his flashlight.
“The kid surrendered,” said one witness who didn’t want to give his name. “The cop, on the other hand, came up right behind him and he was tired too. But he immediately dove on the kid and started wailing on him.”
As the officer beats the man, the man repeats, “I am God. I am God,” clearly illustrating that he is in some form of diminished mental state.
When backup arrives, instead of the violence stopping, the cop continued to beat the man. This caused the crowd to become even angrier. However, never did the crowd attempt to step in or physically assault the officer — which makes what happened next entirely unjustified.
As the officers appear to have the man under control, the original officer then pulls his pistol on the crowd and aims it at individuals who are off camera.
According to CBS San Francisco, former Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan agrees the initial contact was fine, but said he’s troubled by the continuous use of force after a backup officer arrived, especially when the officer pulled his gun on the crowd.
“I understand the officer needed to try to keep the people from getting close to him,” said Jordan.”I don’t necessarily agree that’s the best use of force. I does look bad. It does appear inappropriate.”
The suspect is now in jail and facing charges of being “under the influence” and “resisting arrest.”
Vallejo police say they are well aware of the video and note that internal affairs are reviewing it to investigate all aspects of the arrest.
