Black Man Claims he was Beaten by Detroit Police while Handcuffed - Called him "Monkey"
Bastida Ballard filed a complaint against two Detroit police officers saying they crossed the line and assaulted her son in the basement where her younger children were watching TV. "They supposed to protect us, not hurt us. How can we trust them?" she said. It started almost two weeks ago when police were trying to pull over her 23-year-old son. Gary said the vehicle tag on his mother’s SUV had just expired, so he drove around the corner and pulled into their drive way. He then ran inside to get his mom because he didn’t want police to tow her SUV. The family said the officer kicked in the door, told Gary to freeze and hit him in the head, before and after he was handcuffed. Gary said he did not resist but was beaten anyway. "He was hitting me, but he was telling me to put my hands behind my head, but my hands were behind my head. He hit me across my head with the light, whatever he had. I couldn’t see because my head was down," said Gary. The family said the officer's blows were so out of control, Ballard’s 13-year-old daughter was hit on her arm. He also yanked Ballard’s 12-year-old son by the arm, which opened wounds from a dog bite he suffered earlier that day. "I asked them what was my son being arrested for and he tells me he didn’t know," said Ballard. She said when her son was taken to the police car the hitting didn’t stop. "I don’t want anybody else to go through that. Those officers, they need to be investigated. They need to be followed. They need someone to see what they’re doing," said Ballard. [more] and [moreand [more]
Reader Comments