Yet another disturbing video of police violence against citizens has emerged. In this video, dash camera footage from a September 2014 arrest, Lorain (OH) police can be seen leading a suspect toward the police cruiser that is recording it.
As one of the officers reaches the hood of the car right in front of the dash cam, he smashes Pele Smith, who is handcuffed and in no way resisting, face first into the front windshield. The impact is hard enough that the window shatters. Reportedly, the cops then laughed at Smith as he bled from the head wound inflicted during the assault.
In spite of the video showing nothing of that sort, the police claimed that the brutality was justified by Smith “actively resisting.” Even though his record contained no evidence of it, they also claimed that Smith was a “violent drug offender” and implored people not to believe their lying eyes, because stuff that somehow wasn’t captured by the video gave them reason to put his head through a windshield.
Via CleveScene.com:
Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera released a statement Wednesday calling Smith “a violent drug trafficker” and said the video “does not tell the complete story” and “could be misunderstood” by the public.
According to the Lorain County Clerk of Courts website, Smith has no felony convictions for violent crimes such as assault or robbery. He has prior convictions for drug offenses and possessing a firearm.
“During the arrest and Mr. Smith’s active resistance, he was placed on the hood of the police unit to gain control and conduct a search, as per policy,” Rivera said in his statement. “I would caution observers to not rush to judgment relative to the actions of the police on scene.
“Although it is not easy to watch, police officers explain all of their actions in their police reports.”
Of course, everyone knows that the cops never lie in their police reports to rationalize their violent behavior toward people.
Neither the Bad Apple who broke the windshield with the head of a defenseless person, nor any of the Good Cops who stood by watching it and never said a word about it, then or afterwards, have been named. And apparently, according to Chief Rivera, smashing a handcuffed suspect’s head through a windshield is “per policy” at the Lorain Police Department.
Source Article from http://www.copblock.org/166737/dash-cam-video-ohio-cop-smash-car-windshield-dangerous-handcuffed-suspects-head/
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