Officer beats up teen for filming him, arrests him for battery on a law enforcement officer

[DetlefK]

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/video-raging-cop-claims-smell-weed-so-he-beat-and-arrested-innocent-teen

Officer Napolitano was allegedly responding to a call of some teens “smoking marijuana.” However, no marijuana would be found on any of those involved in Napolitano’s stop.

According to a lawsuit filed this week, when Napolitano arrived he became very aggressive which compelled Diaz’s friend, Mario Manzi, to begin film.

Napolitano became irate after seeing these teens practicing their 1st amendment right to film the police; so, he proceeded to violate their rights by stopping them.

When the teenagers refused to stop filming, he kneed one of them in the stomach multiple times, threw him to the ground, and proceeded to hit his head and legs.

He was either unaware or didn't care that they had the right to film him.

Then he searched the other two teenagers for the marijuana, but none was found.

The entirely unscathed Napolitano then accused Diaz of battery on a law enforcement officer and arrested him. Prosecutors dropped the battery charges but, unfortunately, they held a lesser charge of resisting arrest without violence in October.

...

Unsurprisingly, officer Napolitano faced no punishment and, in fact, received support from his superiors for his actions.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, police Cpl. Joseph Catanzaro reviewed video of what happened, talked to Diaz and his friends and concluded that Napolitano’s use of force was justified.

[ohheckyeah]

1. Where's the

video?

[avebury]

5. Go to the link in the OP. nt

[ohheckyeah]

10. Gheesh

How did I miss that? Thanks.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. This is the kind of shit that needs to end.

That officer should be fired and put in jail for violating their rights. This is a perfect example of the Gestapo tactics we've seen from cops all over the country, and nothing is done to the real offender. Makes me sick.

[Locrian]

6. Not only that...

the supervisor should be fired and brought up on charges. I'm SICK of hearing that "after reviewing the video the cop was justified". There is no rule of law anymore - it's just who rules makes the law.

The whole cop system is rotten to the core.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. .....

[GoneFishin]

4. Putting on a costume makes you immune from the law, evidently. Sick and twisted. It's broken.

[left-of-center2012]

7. "use of force was justified"

All hail the conquering hero !

[Vinca]

8. Can cops be sued personally?

Even if municipalities manage to weasel out of their responsibilities, if individuals could sue for damages and take a few cars and homes owned by cops, this might come to a screeching halt.

[sorefeet]

9. Maybe but I think

a problem is crooked lawyers. The one person who COULD sue is a lawyer. But they charge so much money people don't even try to sue. An honest law firm should do these kind of things FREE. Especially when they have video. But you are right, if we could sue a cop through civil court and punish them by taking their home it probably would slow them down big time. I am 63 year old white man and these guys scare me like a brown shirt. We live in fear of our protectors. AND pay them for it.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

11. The only ones.