By Carlos Miller
Police in California used their Taser on a legless man, then dragged him out of his apartment where they sat him on a curb handcuffed and naked from the waist down for several minutes as neighbors complained of brutality.
Gregory Williams, 40, a double-amputee, ended up spending six days in jail on charges of domestic violence and resisting arrest before he was released with dropped charges.
Now the Merced Police Department is conducting an internal investigation on the two officers who arrested Williams on Sept. 11.
Police had arrived on the scene after receiving reports that he had punched his wife. But police also arrested his wife on a warrant for domestic violence.
Police also arrested a man who was videotaping the incident:
Farrah Shells, Allison’s girlfriend, said she walked up to the scene with her boyfriend and saw Williams on the pavement handcuffed. “They wouldn’t even let him pull his pants up,” Shells said.
While Allison was arrested and faces charges for resisting arrest and carrying an illegal weapon, Shells disputes the officers’ claims. Shells said Allison had been trying to record video footage of the incident on a camera phone when an officer told him to stop.
Shells said Allison refused to stop filming the incident, saying, “Well, everyone else is.” Shells said the officer then arrested Allison, although he didn’t resist, and willingly placed his hands behind his back. In addition, Shells said she believes police deleted the video footage of the incident from the phone. “Before they gave it back to me, I saw a cop going through my phone,” Shells said.
When asked about Shells’ claims about the phone and the circumstances surrounding Allison’s arrest, Higdon declined comment, saying that’s also part of the department’s internal affairs investigation.
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7 responses so far ↓
1 nerdpower // Sep 22, 2009 at 3:55 PM
Get some geeks to that phone rightquick to undelete the video. HURRY.
2 William Pearson // Sep 22, 2009 at 4:27 PM
I’ve undeleted video and images for other activists. I offer my services for free for any activist looking to hold law enforcement accountable. thelibertytiger at gmail.
3 Michaelk42 // Sep 22, 2009 at 11:38 PM
If only he’d had Qik or something on the phone for live uploading as he shot.
Eye-fi and Mi-Fi personal hotspot look good for the future of this, too.
Try deleting it once it’s already live on the net, bastards.
4 xdamousex // Sep 23, 2009 at 11:22 AM
That cop better hope that internal investigation doesn’t turn up any wrongdoing … he might get a whole day of paid vacation!
5 xdamousex // Sep 23, 2009 at 11:25 AM
On a side note, that guy is 40? Really?
6 Dallascaper // Sep 23, 2009 at 7:48 PM
Hard life will do that.
7 Don Cordell // Oct 26, 2009 at 5:07 PM
and Americans claim we do not have a police state, when are citizens going to “Revolt/ReVote. It’s time to Restore, not Change America.
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