Police officer suspended after kneeing handcuffed person

[SummerMadness]

Montgomery Co. police investigating video of officer kneeing handcuffed person

Montgomery County police are investigating after a video was posted to Twitter showing one of their officers kneeing a person who was laying in the sidewalk.

The video shows someone handcuffed and lying on his stomach on a sidewalk; police said it was at the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. An officer, one of a group of at least four on the scene, holds him down by the neck with one knee, while another stands on the back of his left knee.

After the officer stands up, the handcuffed person raises his head and yells at the officers. The officer drops back down to one knee, hitting the person in the neck and driving his head into the sidewalk, face-first.

 

[SaintNick]

Some more good ole American justice system.
White clansmen with a badge.
To Detain and Abuse, should be the motto these days.
I'm sure they'll put him on administrative leave for a couple weeks and clear him of all charges.

 

[SummerMadness]

Montgomery Co. officials ‘outraged,’ ‘saddened’ by video of police arrest

Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro and Vice President Sidney Katz said they were “outraged and deeply saddened” by the cellphone video of a man being arrested earlier this week by Montgomery County police at an Aspen Hill, Maryland, McDonald’s.

The videos posted on social media show a man on the ground surrounded by a group of officers. At one point, an officer appears to knee the man in the head while he’s on the ground, and other officers try to restrain him.

 

[SaintNick]

Looks to me he was already restrained except for his mouth.
Which angered the cop with out restraint to smash his head into the floor like this was American History X.
Both are wrong but as an officer of the law he should be held to a higher standard than that.

 

[SummerMadness]

Looks to me he was already restrained except for his mouth.
Which angered the cop with out restraint to smash his head into the floor like this was American History X.
Both are wrong but as an officer of the law he should be held to a higher standard than that.

True, it would be best for the man to not curse at the police, but prior to handcuffing there was excessive force, which likely led to his anger. But even so, any person that would knee the back of someone’s head into the ground while they are in handcuffs needs to be charged with a felony assault and should never be a police officer.

 

[Ana the Ist]

True, it would be best for the man to not curse at the police, but prior to handcuffing there was excessive force, which likely led to his anger. But even so, any person that would knee the back of someone’s head into the ground while they are in handcuffs needs to be charged with a felony assault and should never be a police officer.

Was there "excessive force" before he was cuffed? The only video I saw showed from the time he was cuffed onwards....

I completely agree that the knee drop to the head/neck was definitely excessive and entirely inappropriate. It's not as if he was unprovoked though....he was dealing with a beligerrant subject that spit on him.

The position he was in with one knee on the back of the head, one knee small of the back, body in tight against the subject (sometimes called a "catcher's crouch") is actually a position law enforcement trains for as a means of getting an aggressive or combative subject cuffed (cuffing someone resisting arrest is actually quite difficult). When this guy is asked to explain himself, he's probably going to argue that he reassumed that position to adjust the cuffs (which he appears to be doing) because the subject continued resisting. He's probably going to claim that with his adrenaline pumping, he didn't realize how hard he dropped that knee on the subject. I doubt investors will believe him....but that's probably a good enough explanation to avoid charges.

I think he should be suspended...maybe a month....and demoted a pay grade or two for a year. He lost his cool....he took it out on the subject.....it's wrong. That doesn't mean he's automatically a bad cop though or that he does this all the time.

 

[rjs330]

True, it would be best for the man to not curse at the police, but prior to handcuffing there was excessive force, which likely led to his anger. But even so, any person that would knee the back of someone’s head into the ground while they are in handcuffs needs to be charged with a felony assault and should never be a police officer.

There was excessive force before? How so?

The knee in the back of the head was entirely wrong and an angry reaction most likely for what occurred before the handcuffing. But it is still excessive force and depending on the cops previous history is deserving of discipline up to and including dismissal.

 

[SummerMadness]

Montgomery County Police Officer Criminally Charged In Excessive Use of Force Case

A Montgomery County Police officer was charged with excessive use of force Tuesday after a video showing a suspect under arrest with a knee to his head came to light last week. It is the second recent case of police misconduct in the county.

Officer Kevin Moris was charged with second-degree assault and misconduct in office in the arrest of 19-year-old Arnaldo Pesoa of Silver Spring. Pesoa was charged with drug possession with intent to distribute and second-degree assault against Moris.

The next question is did all the police officers write a report that did not report the assault? This officer should be punished, but he is only going to be punished because of the work of citizens as opposed to the actions of the other police officers, and that's the problem. Most police officers witness excessive force or misconduct, yet most of them do not lift a finger to report or stop it.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Montgomery County Police Officer Criminally Charged In Excessive Use of Force Case


The next question is did all the police officers write a report that did not report the assault? This officer should be punished, but he is only going to be punished because of the work of citizens as opposed to the actions of the other police officers, and that's the problem. Most police officers witness excessive force or misconduct, yet most of them do not lift a finger to report or stop it.

Perhaps they didn't think it excessive.

 

[SaintNick]

The next question is did all the police officers write a report that did not report the assault? This officer Most police officers witness excessive force or misconduct, yet most of them do not lift a finger to report or stop it.

They train them into a unit. It's the "us" verses "them" mentality. Most don't care.
Just like with the Navy Seal trial. Speaking out against your own "Gang" is career suicide.