3 Mar 1991 Los Angeles, CA.
Rodney King is beaten by several officers in the now infamous
case, recorded on videotape by George Holiday. King had been fleeing persuit
for speeding and running red lights. King is dragged from the car, clubbed as
many as 56 times, kicked at least 6 times, and hit with a Taser stun gun. Twenty-three
other officers watch the beating. King suffers skull fractures and nerve damage
to his face. Riots break out in Los Angeles in Apr 1992 after officers Laurence
Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Stacey Koon are found not guilty
of criminal charges. In Apr 1993, Koon and Powell are found guilty of civil
rights violations and receive prison time.
25 Aug 1992 Poway, CA.
Donald Carlson is shot by black-clad DEA agents in a botched
midnight drug raid. Carlson, hearing the door burst in, calls 911 to report
a break-in, then grabs a pistol he keeps for self-defense. He drops the pistol
after the first shot by agents, who then shoot him two more times on the floor.
No drugs are found. Carlson spends two months in intensive care, and sustains
permanent damage to his respiratory system, arm and shoulder. It is later confirmed
the agents could clearly see there was nothing in Carlson's garage, two hours
before the raid, where a ton of marijuana was allegedly stored. The government
settles for $2.75 million.
18 Sep 1992 Philadelphia, PA.
Charles Thompson is beaten by police after ticketing for a stop
sign violation. Thompson is struck 15 to 20 times in the head, cheek, and mouth
with blackjacks and flashlights, while handcuffed on the ground. The beating
breaks up as witnesses pour out of surrounding buildings. Officers Mark Robinson,
Pellum Coaxum, Stanford Jones and Clyde Manuel claim Thompson hurt himself "falling
to the ground during the struggle", and "I don't know, but when we
got him up his face was bleeding." Charges of assault, and the ticket,
against Thompson are dropped. None of the officers involved are charged after
The Police Board of Inquiry overrules an Internal Affairs investigation.
2 Oct 1992 Malibu, CA.
Donald P. Scott and his wife are woken by knocking at the door
of their historic ranch house. Scott's wife approaches the door as 31 agents
of the Sheriff's Dept, DEA, Park Service, and Border Patrol smash it in. Scott
responds to his wife's scream with revolver in hand. He dies after he is shot
three times in the upper torso by deputy Gary Spencer because he does not drop
his gun fast enough. Nothing illegal is found. Ventura County District Attorney
Michael Bradbury finds that "primary purpose of the raid was a land grab
by the Sheriff's Department" under federal asset-forfeiture laws, and that
a sheriff's deputy had lied to obtain the search warrant. Bradbury declines
to prosecute agents.
27 Nov 1992 Volcano Highway, HI.
Yvonne Mathison dies after a beating with a pipe and being run
over with a van by officer Kenneth Wayne Mathison. Mathison lies about the incident
at the trial. Prosecutors say he killed his wife for half a million dollars
in insurance money. He is convicted of 2nd degree murder and kidnapping. Mrs.
Mathison had previously called spouse abuse hotlines.
Nov 1992 Detroit, MI.
Malice Green dies after a brutal beating with flashlights by
officers Larry Nevers and Walter Budzyn, who pulled him over. Both officers
are found guilty of second degree murder. Detroit settles with Green's family
a month later: $5.1 million. Officers claim innocence on "60 Minutes"
TV show, broadcast 22 Sep 1996
Dec 1992 Chattanooga, TN.
Former University of Tennessee football player Kenneth E. Campbell
is beaten and maced by city police. Police claim Campbell attacked them with
a brick after visiting a drug house. Witnesses say Campbell had no brick and
did not enter the drug house.
29 Jun 1993 East Hampton, NY.
Gregory R. Monaco is arrested by officers Robert Wood and John
Lakeman for car theft. Wood strikes Monaco in the face with his nightstick during
questioning, while Monaco is handcuffed, and throws a phone book at him. The
town settles for approximately $40,000. Allegations of misconduct in the police
department continue to surface for many months. In Jan 1997, a former town councilman
calls for an investigation by state and federal officials.
Apr 1994 Staten Island, NY.
Ernest Sayon, a Liberian national, dies during arrest by three
drug enforcement officers. The city Medical Examiner says cause of death was
"asphyxia by compression of chest and neck while rear-handcuffed and prone
on the ground immediately following a struggle in which he sustained blunt impacts
to his head and trunk". A grand jury declines to press charges.
Jul 1994 Detroit, MI.
10 year old Freddie Vela is shot to death by officer Glenn Price,
while watching an argument between Price and another man over Price's wrecked
truck. Price pulls his gun on the man and fires, killing Vela. Judge Gershwin
Drain says Price was "drunk, angry, and out of control". He is sentenced
to a minimum 12 years.
13 Jul 1994 St. Louis, MO.
Monique Montgomery hears BATF agents burst into her home at
4 AM. Fearing a robbery, she gets her pistol. She is shot four times in the
chest and hip when she fails to drop the gun as ordered by black-clad agents.
No contraband is found in her home. Montgomery, who later recovers from the
shooting, is never charged with any crime.
Aug 1994 North Philadelphia, PA.
Moises DeJesus is struck in the head at least three times with
flashlights or nightsticks while under arrest. He lapses into a coma and dies
three days later - doctors conclude that this was from cocaine overdose. Police
Commissioner Richard Neal suspends eight officers for hiding facts in the case.
Witnesses claim DeJesus was brutally beaten, officers claim he hurt himself
diving out of a cruiser.
Oct 1994 New Orleans, LA.
Kim Groves is shot to death in front of her home by Paul Hardy,
acting on orders of officer Len Davis, who used his authority as a police officer
to arrage the killing. Groves had filed a brutality complaint the day before,
accusing Davis of pistol-whipping a teenager. U.S. Justice Department attorney
Mike McMahon says "That was not an isolated example of murderous intent
by Davis." The jury gives Davis the death penalty after only 30 minutes
of deliberation. Davis and eight other officers are also accused of accepting
protection money for a stash of 130 kilograms of cocaine in a New Orleans warehouse.
22 Dec 1994 Bronx, NY.
Anthony Baez dies from asphyxiation while in a chokehold by
officer Francis Livoti. The incident was sparked when Baez's football accidently
hit the officers' patrol car. Charges against Livoti are dropped due to a typographical
error, then re-applied after numerous protests. Livoti is fired in Feb 1995,
but is acquitted of all criminal charges. Livoti had 11 citizen complaints against
him.
4 Jan 1995 Honolulu, HI.
Ivan Folau is beaten by officers Clyde Hayami, Keith Flynn and
Russell Won. Hayami is sentenced to 4-years, 9-months, Flynn gets probation,
and Won is sentenced to one year in Oct 1996.
15 Jan 1995 Seattle, WA.
Edward Anthony Anderson dies when he is shot in the neck from
approximately one foot range, as he lies on his back on the ground. Officer
claims his weapon "discharged". Technicians find no defect in the
gun. Police Chief Norm Stamper apologizes for the "accidental" shooting.
A jury declines to prosecute.
22 Jan 1995 Bronx, NY.
Hilton Vega and Anthony Rosario die after being shot in the
back 14 times by officers Patrick Branson and James Crow while lying face down
and handcuffed in an apartment building. Rosario asks, "Why are you shooting
me?" Branson and Crow are acquitted, and NYC mayor Giuliani congratulates
their fine job.
5 Feb 1995 Columbus, MS.
Michael Dowdle is beaten by officer Nathan Smith as officers
Donnie Elkin and Lucas Beard stand by and watch. Police are responding to a
burglar alarm when they happen across the drunk, unconscious Dowdle. Smith begins
to kick and punch Dowdle, who is later hopitalized with fractured ribs and a
ruptured spleen. Charges against Dowdle are later dropped. Smith is charged
with excessive force, while all three officers are charged with civil rights
violations and covering up the incident.
13 Feb 1995 Paterson, NJ.
Christopher Thomas is shot in the head and killed by officer
Philip Perrone. Police claim Perron accidently fired his gun while struggling
with Thomas, a burglary suspect. Locals report Perrone as overly aggressive
and fond of pulling his gun.
24 Mar 1995 Brooklyn, NY.
16 year old Yong Xin Huang is shot to death by officer Steven
Mizrahi. Huang had been playing with a pellet gun when confronted by Mizrahi.
Witnesses say, "When they told him not to move, he didn't move", and,
"He didn't struggle with police at all." Witnesses also claim that
Huang was not facing Mizrahi when shot. Huang is shot in the back of the head
by Mizrahi, despite Mizrahi's claim that there was a face-to-face struggle.
The district attorney declines to prosecute. A federal civil suit against the
city is later settled for $400,000.
25 Mar 1995 Dorchester, MA.
75 year old Rev. Accelyne Williams, pastor of a local Methodist
church, dies of a heart attack after being chased, wrestled to the floor, and
handcuffed by police who had burst into his apartment. Several officers are
disciplined, and Police Commissioner Paul F. Evans changes the department's
policies on warrants and informants after it's revealed that police raided the
wrong apartment based on a dubious tip. The city settles with Williams' widow
for $1 million in Apr 1996, the largest settlement of its kind in Boston history.
25 Apr 1995 Cincinnati, OH.
Pharon Crosby, an 18 year old high school student, is maced,
thrown to the ground, kicked and punched by several officers including Eric
Hall and Steve Pickens. Crosby is peacefully waiting for a bus with several
other youths, and is told to move along by the police. The trouble begins when
he verbally resists this harassment. Crosby's friend requests that police desist,
and receives a shove backwards over a large planter. Crosby is an honors student
with no criminal record. The incident is videotaped.
16 May 1995 Paterson, NJ.
Dionesia Correa dies after a beating by officers Larry DeProspo,
Ray Bamond, and James Bishop. Employees at a nearby bakery hear Correa's screams
and attempt to stop officers from kicking Correa, who is handcuffed and on the
ground. The officers are charged with aggravated assault and filing false police
reports.
27 May 1995 Paterson, NJ.
19 year old Jiovani Ruiz is shot in the head by officer Heriberto
Rodriguez. Police claim he was brandishing a gun, witnesses say he was standing
with his hands empty and in the air when shot. A grand jury declines to indict
Rodriguez.
4 Jun 1995 San Francisco, CA.
Aaron Williams is pepper sprayed and beaten on the forearms,
head, wrist, hands and abdomen in front of his home after a chase. He later
dies in police custody. Officers Marc Andaya, Gerald Louie, Peter Ionin and
Randy Flannery have all had excessive force complaints against them, one resulting
in Andaya's suspension, and two resulting in cash settlements by the city. Andaya
is remembered by his former Oakland, CA colleagues as a "cowboy" with
many questionable incidents. San Francisco PD changes its pepper-spray training
after this incident.
14 Jun 1995 Marion County, IN.
Joe Love dies from "positional asphyxia" while in
the Marion County courthouse lockup, where he is being held for possession of
a joint. Marion County Deputy Chief Coroner Robert Ward concludes that he died
of a heart attack. A second autopsy by Dr. George R. Nichols, Chief Medical
Examiner of Kentucky, concludes that he died in a chokehold after a beating,
based on welts, bruises, and other injuries to his body. Witnesses claim Love
was kicked and maced in the courtroom by more than a dozen deputies, and that
Love was not resisting.
Jul 1995 Los Angeles, CA.
14 year old Jose Antonio Gutierrez is shot to death by officer
Michael Falvo. Two independent pathologists state that he was shot in the back.
Police claim Gutierrez was shot because he was brandishing a gun, but later
retract that. Falvo has a record of brutality, including a 1987 incident where
he beat two kneeling, handcuffed men with his nightstick.
21 Aug 1995 Oklahoma City, OK.
Kenneth Michael Trentadue is beaten to death in his cell at
the Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center, where he is incarcerated for a minor
parole violation. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons tells his family that he hanged
himself, but upon inspection at the funeral, they discover injuries over his
entire body.
6 Sep 1995 San Francisco, CA.
William Hankston dies after he is shot twice in the back of
the head by officer Jessie Washington, as he flees a botched drug bust on a
bicycle. No drugs are found.
18 Sep 1995 Manhattan, NY.
Maria Rivas is killed by drunken off-duty officer Frank Speringo.
Speringo is later indicted for second degree murder.
12 Oct 1995 Pittsburgh, PA.
Johnny Gammage dies from a brutal beating by Officers John Vojtas,
Milton Mulholland, Keith Henderson, Shawn Patterson, and Michael Albert, after
a questionable traffic stop. Officers claim they found a bag of marijuana in
Gammage's car, coroner finds no evidence of this other than the bag of marijuana.
Gammage is hit in the neck, face, back, throat, thighs, and groin with flashlights
and batons. Officers refuse to remove handcuffs from Gammage to allow paramedics
to work on him. Coroner's jury recommends charging all five officers with criminal
homicide, after Coroner finds Gammage died of asphyxiation from compression
of the chest and neck. Only Vojtas, Mulholland, and Albert are charged with
involuntary manslaughter. Vojtas is acquitted by a jury in Nov 1996. Gammage
had never been arrested before.
19 Oct 1995 Cincinnati OH.
Lynne Curtis is pulled over by officer Patrick Knight, reason
unknown. Curtis is handcuffed and put in the back seat of Knight's cruiser.
Knight drives her to a secluded area and rapes her. A year later, several women
including Curtis come forward to accuse Knight of sexual assaults. Knight is
fired and charged with a lesser crime.
25 Oct 1995 Lexington, KY.
Tony Sullivan is shot dead by officer Phil Vogel as he exits
a closet he is hiding in. Sullivan is wanted in a shooting. After entering an
apartment and finally coaxing Sullivan out of the closet, unarmed and hands
up, Vogel shoots him in the back of the head. Police later claim this was accidental
as riots begin to break out.
Nov 1995 Annapolis, MD.
Sgt. Michael D. Feeney enters a store where a woman is closing
up. He helps her close, then approaches her from behind, fondles her, and forces
her to perform a sex act. The incident comes out when in Mar 1996 he fondles
another woman to whom he offers a ride. Feeney is charged with a second-degree
sex offense, unnatural and perverted sex practices, a fourth-degree sex offense,
battery and false imprisonment, and is suspended without pay.
1 Nov 1995 San Francisco, CA.
Edwin Sheehan is shot to death by officer John Haggett, minutes
after being released from a search in which no drugs or guns were found. Haggett
is suspended in Oct 1996 for use of excessive force at a New Year's Eve AIDS
benefit raid. He has previously been named in six brutality suits.
23 Nov 1995 Los Altos, CA.
Officer Rafael Rosario arrests a woman for drunken driving and
fondles her breasts twice during searches. Four other women later recognize
him as the officer who harassed them in the past, one claiming he came to her
home at night at least ten times. He is charged with felony sexual battery,
misdemeanor sexual battery, misdemeanor battery, and assault by a police officer
while on duty, and placed on paid administrative leave. He is convicted in 1996.
Rosario had allegedly stun-gunned an 18 year old bystander at a traffic stop
in 1992.
7 Dec 1995 Atlanta, GA.
Jerry Jackson dies in a shootout at a local motorcycle shop.
The incident is apparently sparked when officer W.T. Sauls bursts into the shop
for no known reason, with gun drawn. Employees of the shop, who were armed,
open fire. Jackson, hit in the crossfire, begins to crawl away from the scene.
Three witnesses later testify that police continued to shoot him as he lay on
the ground.
9 Dec 1995 Barstow, CA.
Officer James W. Pitsor offers a ride to an unidentified woman.
Pitsor drives her, in the police cruiser, 20 miles out of town and rapes her,
then drives her back to town. Pitsor is in uniform for the incident, including
his name tag. Pitsor is charged with rape and battery under the color of authority.
He commits suicide in Jan 1996.
8 Jan 1996 Columbia, SC.
Sandra Antoine Antor is stopped for speeding by officer W.H.
Beckwith, who is out of uniform in an unmarked police car. Beckwith drags Antor
from her car at gunpoint, shouting obscenities and threats to cut her clothes
off or mace her, and pushes her face down into the ground. The incident is videotaped
by Beckwith's cruiser's own video recorder. Beckwith is fired for the incident
and later apologizes to Antor. The FBI declines to persue civil rights charges
in the case.
8 Jan 1996 St. Louis, MO.
17 year old Garland Carter dies when he is chased down and shot
twice in the back by officer Eddie Sanchez. Witnesses say Carter was unarmed.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Mokwa tells Carter's father the same thing shortly
after the shooting. Later, police claim they found an automatic weapon on Carter.
A day later, they claim it was a .22 pistol. A .22 pistol, a tear gas gun, and
a toy pistol are found in the trunk of Sanchez' patrol car. Sanchez is put on
administrative leave. 1
2 Jan 1996 Brooklyn, NY.
15 year old Frankie Arzuaga is shot dead by police in the back
seat of a car after a traffic stop. NYPD tells the press that there was "no
incident".
19 Jan 1996 Brooklyn, NY.
Officer Rodney Bishop is shot to death by his ex-girlfriend's
new boyfriend, Steven Buffaloe, in the girlfriend's apartment. Based on a 911
recording, investigators conclude that Bishop entered with a key, drew his service
revolver, the two struggled, and Buffaloe finally shot him in self defense.
25 Feb 1996 Bradenton, FL.
Officers Kevin Carmichael and Richard Hill beat a man in the
head with a flashlight and mace him. Carmichael is placed on administrative
leave. He had been accused of brutality or excessive use of force four times
during the past five years, a Bradenton police lieutenant says.
1 Apr 1996 South El Monte, CA.
Mexican nationals Alicia Soltero-Vasquez and Enrique Funes Flores
are clubbed and kicked on the ground by deputies Tracy Watson and Kurtis Franklin,
after an automobile persuit and the flight from the vehicle of several other
Mexicans. Vasquez and Flores are both hospitalized, Vasquez with a fractured
arm. Deputies allege that they would not obey commands. Neither of the Mexicans
understands English. The beating is videotaped. Watson was sued in 1994 by 15
year old Salvador Garcia for battery, false arrest, and civil rights violations.
Franklin was sued in 1987 by Sandra Schauer for crashing into her car at 85
MPH at an intersection. Schauer suffered bruises and contusions, and a dislocated
thumb. She was awarded $10,000.
17 May 1996 Columbus, OH.
Shammas Jones videotapes police charging down 12th Avenue, firing
tear gas and wooden bullets, and making random arrests of partiers on the OSU
campus. Jones turns to walk away and is knocked to the ground from behind, maced
in the face, and struck repeatedly by police. Chris Wisniewski criticizes police
action and is attacked from behind and arrested. Walter Leake is maced and arrested
as police forcefully clear the area. The reason for the assault is never made
clear - there had been no emergency situation or civil disobedience. Jones is
later acquitted by a jury. Wisniewski and Leake are never charged. Numerous
protests are broken up by police over several months, and many are videotaped.
Several persons are arrested for videotaping police actions. In Oct 1996, the
U.S. Justice department announces an investigation of patterned discrimination
in the Columbus police department.
18 May 1996 Pasadena, CA.
Officer Mark Mireles happens upon a woman he knows outside a
local billiard hall. He entices her to walk with him to a dark area where he
rapes her. Mireles stops showing up for work and moves out of his apartment.
He later turns himself in and is charged with rape, sodomy by use of force,
forcible oral copulation, and anal or genital penetration by foreign object
with the use of force. His victim says in an interview that he used to say how
he enjoyed when "gang bangers" got out of line and he could use his
skills to make them "submit to his will."
25 May 1996 Westhampton Beach, NY.
Shane L. Daniels is beaten in the head with a "Club"
steering wheel locking device by detective Austin Offen in an unprovoked attack,
while detective Constantine Chronis holds back the crowd with his service handgun.
Daniels remains in a coma for two weeks following the beating. He later sues
for $50 million.
27 Jun 1996 Dallas, TX.
Officer Johnnie Hernandez is arrested by an undercover officer
posing as a hit man. Hernandez was attempting to hire him for several thousand
dollars to kill Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin. He is charged with solicitation
of capital murder. Irvin had allegedly threatened Hernandez' girlfriend.
Jul 1996 Bronx, NY.
Nathanial Gaines dies when shot in the back by officer Paolo
Collechia after an argument in a subway station. Collechia is convicted in 1997.
2 Aug 1996 Savannah, GA.
Officer Bill Harvey beats a handcuffed man on the ground on
the back, head, legs, and groin with his flashlight. He maces the man a throws
him into the back seat of his cruiser. The man, who was not resisting, apparently
stepped in front of the police cruiser, setting off Harvey. The incident is
witnessed by passers-by.
24 Oct 1996 St. Petersburg, FL.
18 year old TyRon Lewis dies after being shot multiple times
by Officer Jim Knight after a traffic stop. Witnesses claim Knight was leaning
on the hood of Lewis' car when it began to slowly roll forward, "like when
you take your foot off the brake". Knight then fires through the windshield.
Police claim Lewis "lurched" forward, threatening to run over Knight.
Rioting breaks out as news spreads. Knight is suspended for 60 days. This is
the fifth time in a year police had shot a driver they claim was attempting
to flee. In Nov 1996, Knight is acquitted by a jury. More rioting breaks out.
18 Feb 1997 Worcester, MA.
Adolfo Arrastia, Marcelino Guerra, and Kevin Montalban are punched,
maced and arrested by 20-30 police, including officers Donald A. LaRange and
Russell Veroneau. The incident is sparked by several young people smoking outside
a youth center. After twice being ordered off the sidewalk by police, Arrastia,
the center's executive director, informs them that the youths have no other
place to smoke and are on private property. Police then mace him and throw him
to the ground, followed by Montalban. Guerra goes inside to wash off the mace,
is chased by about 10 officers with police dogs, is jumped, punched, thrown
to the floor, maced again, and handcuffed. The incident is witnessed by numerous
local businessmen and professionals, who had just left a meeting of the center's
board. Worcester Police Department finds that the officers acted appropriately.
In Jul 1997, a mediator from the U.S. Justice department is called in. In Aug
1997, all charges against the three men are dropped.
21 Feb 1997 Milford, MA.
Katrina L. Anderson and her four children are forced to the
floor by combat-geared state troopers. The troopers broke down the door of the
family's home in a search for Shannon Booker, who they claim had violated her
parole. Upon realizing their mistake, the troopers break in next door and arrest
another woman, also not Booker, on unrelated charges. Booker, who is not arrested
that day, had not violated parole. [Not really that brutal, but it's just so
laughable that I had to include it.]
9 Aug 1997 Brooklyn, NY.
Haitian immigrant Abner Louima is anally raped with a toilet
plunger by officers Charles Schwarz and Justin Volpe. Louima is hospitalized
with a torn colon. The 70th Precinct is virtually gutted by Internal Affairs
in the investigation of brutality reports. Later, Haitian Patrick Antoine claims
he was also beaten by Volpe on the same night. Antoine is charged with assaulting
a police officer, and the charges are subsequently dropped. Volpe is suspended
for 30 days.
19 Aug 1997 Philadelhia, PA.
Lamore Rich and seven month old Lamore Rich Jr. are run down
and killed by two police cruisers responding to an "assist officer"
call. The cruisers smash into each other at a busy intersection. Quinessa Rich
is also treated at a local hospital for an arm injury. This is the second accident
involving police in two days.
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