Police caught on video brutally punching Black man in apartment complex won’t face charges
The Mesa, Arizona police who brutally kicked and punched a Black man as he completed a phone call at an apartment complex, won’t face criminal charges.
—Former football player put in chokehold by police now facing charges—
Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista enlisted the help of an outside investigative team to examine the case of Robert Johnson who was arrested and roughed up by cops at an apartment building with his friend Erick Reyes. The two went there because Reyes claimed that he wanted to get some items from his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, but someone called 911 and reported a burglary in progress, the NY Daily News reports.
Batista also requested an independent review of use-of-force cases over the past three years to determine if there was some culpability by cops who may have had a record of abuse.
But after reviewing hours of video, Scottsdale police said in a statement that investigators determined “the use of force was legally authorized and justified” under state law, according to reports.
Lawyers for Johnson, 33, are outraged at the end result.
“The only justice that he’s going to get is from a civil jury,” Phoenix attorney Joel Robbins said.
Robbins said his client suffered a concussion, scrapes and bruises and is still recovering from some of the injuries.
—Parents outraged after teacher punishes son for using respectful term—
“Mesa police beat a man for not sitting down when they wanted him to sit down,” Robbins said. “It boggles my mind.”
Caught on Tape
The encounter between Johnson, Reyes and the police escalated when they kneed and punched Johnson as he leaned up against the wall.
The officer in question, Johnte Jones, said he hit Johnson because Johnson leaned against the wall and extended his feet instead of sitting specifically as instructed.
“Johnson’s body language was projecting he was preparing for a physical altercation,” the police report said. “Johnson’s shoulders were bowed forward slightly and head slightly nodded.
“That was a position I recognized from past physical confrontations where a person ops (sic) to look toward the floor in order to use their peripheral vision to track several opponents simultaneously,” wrote Jones. “Johnson’s breathing became shallower and intentional, suggesting physiologically his body was transitioning to fight-or-flight mode.”
Other officers joined in on the assault, which was captured by security cameras and the officers’ body cameras. Johnson was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and hindering police. Reyes was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia.
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