Black Man Allegedley Beaten by Cops - Police refuse to release Video Tape
Saturday, October 16, 2004 at 05:00AM
TheSpook
Hattiesburg Police Department officers did not use unnecessary or
excessive force in the Oct. 1 arrest of a man witnesses said was beaten
by police, Chief David Wynn said Thursday. Tony Hinton, 34, was arrested after he failed to pull over
for a traffic violation and led police on a chase that ended with him
crashing his truck in a ditch Wynn said. Residents
of the Columbia Street neighborhood gathered on the corner and watched
the arrest take place, they said. They then notified the police
department that they believed officers had used excessive force during
the arrest, spawning an internal investigation by the department. The
investigation included interviews with Hinton, the officers and
witnesses, as well as a review of police cruiser video footage shot
that night, Wynn said. Eyeywitness Mary Brown said, "they had this guy
down in the dirt and they were hitting him with a flashlight. He was
saying, 'Lord help me, help me.'" "He resisted arrest," Wynn said. "The
video clearly shows that the officers utilized their training." Wynn
said he will not release the video to the media because the department
is worried about civil lawsuits. He said that the investigation is
complete unless he gets new information. The Hattiesburg American has
filed a Mississippi Public Records Act petition with the department to
obtain copies of the video and police reports. Officials have 14 days
to respond to the request. Neighbors who saw the incident said they
didn't see Hinton resist arrest. "He didn't have time to put up a
fight," said neighbor Barbara Hilton. "He was face-down in the
ditch. " [more ] and [more ]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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