I just wanted to touch on a few things Moose said.
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Originally Posted by MooseMan3000
The man wasn't booked solely for intoxication. He was also booked for assault on a police officer, as well as "public intimidation."
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Correct. IIRC in an article I read last night there is a Resisting Arrest charge in there too.
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Originally Posted by MooseMan3000
Furthermore, in the video it's obvious the man was struggling; it took 4 officers to restrain him.
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I've watched the video several times and only saw the one officer hit him. The rest were using control techniques, albiet it uneffectively. The dude in the tan vest was doing more to hinder them all than help.
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Originally Posted by MooseMan3000
The only evidence we have is what we see in the video, which begins well after the confrontation began. We don't know what the man said, we don't know what he did to warrant arrest.
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I agree. On the flip side though, what's not to say the cops didn't instigate it? Could they have said something to him that may have made him resist arrest? We see only what the news media was us to see. Sensationalistic journalism at it's best.
Punching a 64 year old drunk in the face is a bit extreme though. I don't see the justification for that level of force in the video. It would be completely different if the man had turned and started swinging. But, again, the events that transpired before the start of the footage may tell a different tale. There is no justification whatsoever for officer Smith to attack the Associated Press journalist.
It sounds like the NOPD handled it appropriately. They will have to go to court and defend their actions, and then all of the evidence will be presented, not just a short video clip, to determine guilt or innocence.