From [HERE] New video shows the takedown of an accused Orlando cop killer, footage that appears to show two officers kicking murder suspect Markeith Loyd while he’s down on the ground.
Loyd claims police used excessive force. There’s now an internal investigation into the officers' actions.
"Let's not rush to judgment. Let's let the use of force investigation play out. Remember, we're dealing with an extremely violent and dangerous and unpredictable person,” said Orlando Police Chief John Mina.
Police celebrated the success of bringing down Loyd, ending a massive nine-day manhunt for the accused murderer.
At Loyd’s first court appearance Thursday, he claimed police brutality. “They done took my eye. They broke my nose, broke my jaw. They did all this (expletive) saying I resisted,” Loyd said.
From police helicopter video, released by the Orlando Police Department, you see dozens of officers from different agencies surround an abandoned Orlando home as they closed in on Loyd.
Fellow officers knew who they were up against. Loyd's accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and unborn baby in December, then gunning down police lieutenant Debra Clayton last week.
“We are talking about a cold-blooded, ruthless killer,” says Chief Mina. [sounds like a good excuse for the anger they already had].
Chief Mina says Loyd first tried to escape out the back door and ran back inside the house before coming out the front door.
“Got one crawling out the front door, guys,” says the police chopper spotter.
Chief Mina says Loyd came out holding two handguns, wearing body armor and sliding across the grass with ammunition underneath him.
“They had heard information he was going to go out in a shootout. He wanted to be a legend,” said Mina. “He proceeds to crawl towards the officers, does not comply with the officers' commands to put his hands behind his back, and officers use force,” Chief Mina said.
You don’t hear the commands on the video, but it appears to show two officers kick him in the face while Loyd has his arms outstretched on the ground before the camera suddenly pans away from the takedown.
“When I first saw that the camera pan away, that was concerning to me. However, remember the spotter of the helicopter was an OPD officer. They also have the responsibility of maintaining control of what's inside the house,” said Chief Mina.
“It’s way too early for me to have an opinion or make a conclusion on use of force that would really taint the use-of-force investigation."
Chief Mina says the investigation will take into account the totality of the circumstances, including Loyd’s violent history and the officers’ actions.
“What would an objectively reasonable officer do at the scene that night? And not while we're sitting in our living room watching that. We're professionals, and I will say based on what I know, I think our officers showed great restraint,” said Chief Mina.
Loyd colorfully didn't agree at his first court appearance in jail on Thursday after getting out of the hospital.
“They’re saying I resisted, but I crawled out of the (expletive) to the road. I didn’t resist. I didn’t resist (expletive),” Loyd says.
Loyd claimed Tuesday after the arrest that officers “beat me up.”
“We did not try to hide what had happened to him. We wanted to be very transparent and open. He resisted arrest. We used force. He was injured. It will be investigated,” Mina said.
It’ll be an Orlando police internal review. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it won't investigate because officers didn't use deadly force.
Loyd's now facing 10 charges, including the first degree murder of his ex-girlfriend and baby, as well as Lt. Clayton.
Loyd remains in jail without bond. He told the judge he doesn’t plan to hire an attorney. He’ll represent himself.