- Police Brutality Watch

Incident caught on audio tape - Officer says it was "kind of fun"

A local minister who says police roughed him up and then tried to cover it up will hear results of an investigation Monday night. The Citizen Complaint Authority (CCA) says Cincinnati police officers did indeed use excessive force against Reverend Donald Tye, and then took steps hide it. Reverend Donald Tye owns a car repair shop on May Street in Walnut Hills. Last march, a freshly painted Camaro sitting on the street caught the eye of a police officer, because Tye hadn't put the license plates back on yet. Tye says they "discussed" whether the officer had the right to tow the car, then he just moved it to his driveway a few houses down the street. Then a few officers got into an altercation with his son Donnie, who was still inside the shop, and they all wound up at Tye's front door. Tye says they forced their way in, telling him he was being arrested. "Guns are being drawn and I'm almost assured I'm gonna get shot, if I get shot, I'd rather them shoot me in the back, so I turn and I start to walk away," said Tye. According to Tye one of the officers pushed him down the steps. The officer, Douglas Smith, then jumped on Tye. On the police car's motor vehicle recorder, you can hear the officer talk about it. "Guess I got a use of force cause I knocked the old guy down the steps," was on the recorder.The officer is then heard on the recording saying, "kind of fun," to jump on Tye. [more

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