Two Philadelphia Cops Indicted In Brutality Case After Severely Beating Hispanic Man
Two white Philadelphia police officers were charged this week with severely beating up an unarmed Hispanic man and then falsely charging him with aggravated assault and resisting arrest.
The incident occurred in May 2013 while Najee Rivera, 22, was riding in the street on a scooter in North Philadelphia.
The officers, Sean McKnight, 30, and Kevin Robinson, 26, claimed that Rivera fell off his scooter and then physically attacked one of them, which prompted them to use their batons and fists to constrain him.
"While running towards my partner I saw the Hispanic male grab my partner with both his hands by his chest upper vest area and slammed him into a brick wall of the building. The Hispanic male held my partner up against the wall and began throwing elbows towards my partner's face and head area," said Officer McKnight in a statement, according to the charging documents, reports the Los Angeles Times.
However, video footage revealed that one of the officers knocked Rivera off of his scooter using his baton before they hit the scooter with their car. That's when Rivera began running away in fear; however the cops chased him down and slammed him against a wall. They then began beating him while he screamed out for help, reports the Associated Press.
After the district attorney presented the video evidence, the cops were indicted by a Philadelphia grand jury.
"The video undermined every aspect of the officers' account of the incident," said Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said at a news conference Thursday. "As a grand jury found, none of it was true -- except for the blows inflicted on Najee Rivera."
Williams also said he dropped the charges against Rivera, who suffered from a broken orbital bone and several lacerations to his head.
"In reality, Rivera didn't just fall off his scooter as officers approached in their patrol car. Instead, one of them actually reached out of the window and clubbed Rivera in the head; the car bumped the scooter and Rivera fell to the ground," Williams said.
"Both officers then got out and immediately placed Rivera in their control. He never resisted, he never struck them, he never fought back, they just started hitting him," Williams continued. "First, one held him against the wall, while the other beat him with a baton. Then they held him on the ground and beat him some more, with both fist and baton.
"There's no doubt that the blows were connecting, because the video also had audio, and you can hear Mr. Rivera from the time he fell off his scooter, writhing in pain, screaming for help."
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey added that the cops will likely be fired.
They were both charged with aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, reckless endangerment, lying to authorities, falsifying records and obstructing justice.
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