Cop goes Ballistic on 13 yr old Skate Boarders. (Video)

Truthfully, this pudgy little pathetic excuse for a cop is lucky those kids were well mannered and didnt decide to put him down. A few kids with skateboards as weapons would have made short work of that fat piece of trash.

Originally posted by TheRealTruth84
They are 13 years old and have every right in the world to question the officers use of force. I don't care if there are signs every 5 feet on the street saying no skateboarding, that is no reason to grip these kids up the way he did.

You're watching a video shot by, edited by, and put online by one of the involved minors. In case you didn’t notice the parts leading up to him being grappeled by the police officer were for some reason left out, wonder why that is? Maybe so they could attempt to slant peoples opinion to play on public sympathy and outrage?

I am sure the cop didn’t just walk up to that kid and grapple him to the ground, I am sure it started off with the officer talking to them, attempting to cite them, and them giving him grief or trying to evade him.

Originally posted by TheRealTruth84
The reason kid number 1 took off running is because he had a photo of the cop choking his buddy and new that the camera would be confiscated. He was willing to put himself in trouble to make sure "The REAL Truth" would be heard and not what the officer wrote down in his report.

If that is what he thought, then he was obviously wrong to think it. The officer here was in the right, he was within his rights, and was following the law. This has been supported by the investigation into the incident:

Officer Joey Williams, cleared of charges
A police officer who appeared to choke a skateboarder and put two others in a headlock in a video posted online used appropriate force when making his arrests, an internal police investigation found.The Hot Springs Police Department Internal Affairs Board found the use of force was within the police department’s policy on non-deadly force and recommended “no changes to this policy.” The decision was released Monday.

Officer Joey Williams confronted a situation that “would have overwhelmed any single officer” when he stopped those breaking a Hot Springs city ordinance by skateboarding on a downtown sidewalk June 21, the report said. However, Williams was faulted for leaving a handcuffed suspect unattended while chasing another youth in the resort town’s historic Bathhouse Row.

Williams has been on administrative leave since the video hit YouTube on June 25. Police said he would return to active duty Thursday in the city’s downtown.“I think it was fair,” City Manager Kent Myers said. Witnesses “consistently supported the actions of the officer and his efforts to control the situation.”

Video from a business’ security cameras shows 10 skateboarders rolling down the city sidewalk at a good clip, followed by Williams, who sprints past the last skater. A video taken by skateboarders and later posted on YouTube shows Williams on top of one of the skaters, apparently choking him. The video also showed Williams putting another two skateboarders in a headlock, and the officer can later be heard threatening to use pepper spray on a skateboarder lying on the ground.

Police said they arrested Matthew Jon McCormack, 21, and Skylar Nalls, 19, both of Hot Springs, and four juveniles. McCormack faces a misdemeanor battery charge accusing him of pushing or striking a 67-year-old city employee during the melee. Nalls was cited for skateboarding and faces misdemeanor charges of fleeing and obstructing governmental operations.

McCormack has previously disputed many of the police allegations, especially his battery charge. He has said he pulled on the city employee’s arm after the man lifted a girl off her feet in a choke-hold.
Hot Springs is a resort town about 50 miles west of Little Rock.

This even mentions that there is additional footage, take via other cameras, and there was more to the story beyond their edited youtube video.

Notice something else in that article?

Witnesses "consistently supported the actions of the officer and his efforts to control the situation.”

Funny how the public that was on the scene, and personally saw the events unfold, don’t seem to share the outrage that the online community does, eh? Again, slanted video editing.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
1)When the video starts all you see is a 13 year old CHILD on his back on the concrete getting choked by an officer of the "law".

As stated, a video shot by, edited by, and uploaded by one of the defendants. Other video and the public at the scene unanimously support the officers actions.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
2)The first scene is a PICTURE that was taken. Other WITNESSES arrive on the scene with a video camera.

Not another witness, another defendant, as in one of the other skateboarders. You can even hear one woman walking by state “Oh your running from the police, that’s smart too”. The public that was there obviously were in agreement with the officer as well.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
No one interferes with the officer (verbal protest is NOT interference).

Yes it is, I suggest that you go read the laws. When an officer is effecting an arrest, you totally butt out. Any action by you verbally or otherwise is interference with a police officer in the course of his duty, and therefore resisting arrest. People have been known to incite riots against police to stop them from arresting someone. Police also do not like people crowding around them, as they have no idea who is armed, who might pull a weapon to help the suspect flee, or when a group might decide to turn on the officer and do him harm.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
The CHILD on the concrete does not resist (if you are being choked or otherwise physically accosted and you move that is not resistance it is called a NATURAL REFLEX).

You cannot tell from a video when someone is resisting. Police will continue to apply pain compliance pressure until the person relaxes their muscles and allows them put on the handcuffs. You can clearly see that here when he bends the one kids hand back at a ninety degree angle. He is applying pressure to the kids wrist thereby forcing him to allow application of the handcuffs. That in itself says that they kid is pulling/resisting him positioning his hands into the cuffs.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
3)At no point does the police officer seem interested in arresting any of the CHILDREN besides the one on the ground.

There is footage that was left out of the beginning of this incident which I am sure shows what that kid did to deserve being arrested, and why he is the initial one being focused on.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
3)The CHILD that took the incriminating photo says "This cop just choked him and i have a picture of it" then is told "come here" IMMEDIATELY, at which point he flees.

I suggest that you watch that again, more objectively this time. The kid makes that remark, then started to leave the scene, followed by the officer telling him to “come here”, then chasing him. The kid fled the scene, which is why he was pursued, not because he had some worthless picture. BTW, there is nothing wrong with an officer choking someone, they are allowed to apply as much force as required to effect an arrest, its called pain compliance and is allowed on the use of force matrix at the Passive Physical Resistance level. These guys were Actively Physically Resisting (ie fleeing):
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8d343482c412.jpg[/atsimg]
You might also want to take note that on this use of force matrix that 'Verbal' is most assuredly a category. These kids were into at least the 'Active Physical' column of that chart, and the officer would have been allowed to employ Incapacitating Control (Chemical/Electrical Weapons). They are just shy of the officer being allowed to physically render them unconscious, and only two levels below 'Use of Deadly force'. People do not realize exactly how dangerous it is to disobey an officer when they are arresting you, and to what extent that they are allowed to stop you.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
4)The police officer runs approximately THREE blocks away leaving his prisoner. The teen in handcuffs stands up and paces a 1 square yard area and even proclaims on camera that he has no intention on going ANYWHERE and never even tries to leave the scene.

It was wrong for the officer to leave a handcuffed suspect, as a matter of fact it was the only thing he did wrong and was reprimanded for. If the kid had jumped out into traffic with the cuffs on, and was hit by a car, the city would have been responsible for it as he was in their custody at that point. However, when an officer puts you on the ground and cuffs you, you stay on the friggen ground until ordered otherwise. Standing up in itself can actually be considered resisting and or fleeing. It’s a lawful order, its not simon says.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
The officer then tries to detain a FEMALE CHILD (why?) who attempts to flee at which point the officer grabs HER around the throat in a choke hold and places HER under arrest.

She was also skateboarding, and interfering with an officer. Again, I am sure there is more footage that has been conveniently left out as to how this all started. Additionally, helping someone else flee, and interfering, is also considered resisting arrest:

§ 205.30 Resisting arrest.
A person is guilty of resisting arrest when he intentionally prevents
or attempts to prevent a police officer or peace officer from effecting
an authorized arrest of himself or another person.
Resisting arrest is a class A misdemeanor.

The whole group was attempting to prevent the officer from affecting a lawful arrest of their buddy.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
At this point there is a SECOND officer on the scene that does NOTHING. If it is so serious why does he not react?

He is most likely assessing what is going on as he is newly arrived on scene.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
7)Now EVERYONE on the scene is placed on the ground and placed under arrest for disorderly contact, resisting arrest and battery.

Incorrect, again:

§ 205.30 Resisting arrest.
A person is guilty of resisting arrest when he intentionally prevents
or attempts to prevent a police officer or peace officer from effecting
an authorized arrest of himself or another person.
Resisting arrest is a class A misdemeanor.

Only the one suspect would be charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, the others would be charged with disorderly conduct (not contact) and resisting arrest.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
We never see the original CHILD resisting or fleeing nor the camera CHILD, nor the CHILD that told the officer he was being too rough on the female CHILD.

Yep, the aggrieved party conveniently left that bit out, didn’t they? However, we can hear the officer tell him at the beginning of the video; "When I tell you to stop, you stop", which means they had already fled before video started and the officer had him on the ground.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
We DO see an officer ABANDON a prisoner and attempt to arrest a WITNESS (can police tamper with a witness or is that just a civilian charge?)

Your misunderstanding that they are not witnesses, but rather additional suspects.

Originally posted by ProphecyPhD
Did ANYONE see the cop get battered? (ego doesn't count)

The officer states that the one kid did something to his knee when he was arresting him. You do not lay a finger on an officer, even by accident, when they are arresting you. If you do, they will open a Can-O-Whoopass on you, and you will get a “battery on a law enforcement” charge to boot.

Obviously you think that being arrested is some type of game where you have optional rules that you can use to your favor, but the truth is that once you are under arrest your rights are suspended. This is why it was wrong for the officer to leave the cuffed suspect, as once in custody the state is in possession of your body, and responsible for anything that happens to it.

After reading the top two posts above me. I think everyone else who disagreed with the cops actions has misconstrued the video in whole.
They only see what they want to see and don't even come to understand the situation. Close mindedness like this leads to stupidity.

Originally posted by jnyblujns
This pretty much explains why my first reaction when hearing of a cop getting killed is laughter. I know that's wrong on some level, but really, I can't help it. The world is better off any time one of them is done away with.

WTF?? Because ONE cop decides to get physical with some punks (who edited the film), you think that makes it a GOOD thing when one gets killed?

What the Hell is wrong with you? I know a whole lot of cops and let me tell you, compared to the general public a much higher percentage of them are good, honest people trying to make a positive difference in this world. It is people like you that place such little value on human life that's the problem.

I get so sick of comments like this.....let's show a teacher slapping a kid so we can call ALL teachers losers. Let's show an article about a doctor pimping narcotics (which happens a lot) so we can say that ALL doctors are scum. Let's show a video of a firefighter starting a fire so we can saw they are ALL arsons that just take the job so they can start fires. How about a nurse that kills people (never heard that one?) because that proves that ALL nurses are killers, right?

The police are the ones putting themselves out there in the public eye, under public scrutiny in order to do their job. They are human. Some of them are jerks, some of them are crazy, some of them are dangerous, but most of them are good men and women.

You think it's FUNNY when they get killed? You think it was FUNNY when my friend got a bullet in her head while she was responding to a call to help someone? A loving, caring woman who only wanted to help people and would NEVER intentionally hurt someone? You think THAT was funny???

YOU make me a whole lot more disgusted than that cop in the video.

Welcome to the land of the free..... thats all I gotta say.

so i guess if an officer is pissy drunk and slapping random civilians you should shut your mouth and keep it moving lest you be arrested for (insert charge here). Where are we allowed to draw the line? At what point can a civilian say an officer is totally out of line? Is an officer even capable of being out of line? (i think that might be reserved for us regular folk)

reply to post by defcon5


your response makes my "Human Moral Compass Senses" go to Defcon5...... my HMCS never deviates from true North.......

reply to post by BoyOfOceanus


Here lays the problem.
Their right to skateboard ends when it infringes on others rights to safety.

reply to post by ProphecyPhD


An intoxicated officer on duty would be removed from his position quite expeditiously as they present a liability to the police department, and the city/county/state they work for. However, when an officer makes the decision to affect an arrest, there is no negotiating it. Crying, fleeing, fighting, arguing, is not going to change anything, and only going to make matters worse. You can argue your case in court before a judge. If the officer is found negligent in a court, or to have falsely arrested you, then you can sue the city/county/state for all damages and legal fees that you have incurred.

Originally posted by defcon5
reply to post by BoyOfOceanus

 

Here lays the problem.
Their right to skateboard ends when it infringes on others rights to safety.

When was the last time you saw someone get hurt by a skate board, other than the skateboarder themself?

If people are seriously afraid that a skateboarder is gonna come down the sidewalk, collide full force, and break them in twine..... then they need to go back inside, and not come out until they realize that...... thats life..... countless possibilities that lead to injury and even death.

To take the right away from someone to ride a #ing plank with wheels.... just because of something that happened once out of the blue....... We don't need cops chasing down kids and choke holding them on the #ing ground. What we need is people learning that you can't cover every corner and coat every abrasive surface with safe materials so we never have to worry about getting hurt......

I just did a couple different searches one "injured by skateboarder" yet all i get is "skateboarder injured"

So all of this is just old people making a big deal out of kids having a good #ing time..... "omg look how fast they are comfortable riding that bit of wood by us...... OMG they are so unsafe flying by us as they continue on down the street..... Its a good thing I wasn't on the sidewalk otherwise they wouldn't of stopped/bailed if they thought impact was imminent" Dude..... the only time I really see kids falling off there boards is when they are trying to do tricks.... which that I understand telling kids to take elsewhere..... but when they are just using it as a means of travel.....Thats just ridiculous.

What pisses me off is how often people jay-walk and cops don't do # to stop that, despite the fact that the consequences are far more real and extensive.... one person steps in road, on car swerves hits another..... and then it just piles on on up..... Yet on my deliveries i've seen countless people just cutting roads to save a little bit of time.

Bikes get a lane in the damn road...... and bikes are actually even more easy to stop in my opinion.... but their added weight and robustness kind of kills the sidewalk...... but..... a skateboarder in the bike lane..... that just sounds realllly scary for the skateboarder just seems like people "respect" the bicycle more when they are driving just cause if they hit that # its really gonna # their car up.

So as for skateboarding infringing on someone elses "rights to safety"...... well.... let me put it this way..... say your riding rollerblades.... and theres a bit of area that has a sign that list those as one of the things your not alllowed to ride there..... well not everyone takes their shoes with them when they roller blade, I didn't when I was younger. So what are people going to say to that roller blader? People wouldn't say a damn thing, people wouldn't even notice the freaking person unless something actually happened. A skateboard is surpisingly easy to control..... and whenever I see someone rollin down the sidewalk..... (usually a bit away seeing as I know the sound and don't spend the whole day looking at my feet) I just make it so that they see that I notice them and am stepping aside so they can continue on enjoying their little floaty board :3

People just don't get I suppose...... that and all they can do is think about themselves. "omg this kid is riding a board down the sidewalk and i'm to much of an obese stereotypical american to literally take 2 steps to the side so not only can they continue on having fun and taking enjoyment from the simply feeling of floatin down the sidewalk and I can continue being a fat lazy slob who can't get the # out of the way.

In the end when it comes down to someone actually being hit by a skateboarder...... its not the skateboards fault... its the kids fault...... guns don't kill people, people kill people. XD I was Barely average, and the only place I collided with anyone, was at the skatepark, where there were countless people riding random # (despite the fact that there were signs saying only skateboards around..... but once again rules that cops feel they are above enforcing).

People need to grow the # up, and get their own lives, instead of wasting precious time taking the joy and putting down those who are enjoying theirs.

reply to post by BoyOfOceanus


Ok, let me put it like this:

A business owner has the right, on his property:
To not have minors loitering.
To not have loitering people harassing their customers.
To not have loitering people doing damage to their property.
To not have loitering people doing damage to their customer’s property.
To not have loitering people have the possibility to injure their clients causing a lawsuit.
To not have to pay extra liability costs due to people doing something on their property.
To not have to pay money to make an area safe for an unwanted activity that causes problems.

Pedestrian have the right:
To have the right of way, ALWAYS.
To not have to worry about being knocked down, pushed down, or someone falling on them from engaging in an activity in an area not designed for it.

Skateboarders have to right:
To engage in their activity on their own property.
To engage in their activity in areas designated for their activity, in compliance with the rules of that area.

Make it any clearer?

Funny how people who engage in other hobbies that require a designated area, such as flying RC planes or model rockets, seem to understand this very simple concept, eh?

reply to post by jude11


not enough of the video to make a 100% judgment but this does look like the cop was abusing power, this is just getting worse and worse it seems

Originally posted by defcon5
reply to post by BoyOfOceanus

 

Ok, let me put it like this:

A business owner has the right, on his property:
To not have minors loitering.
To not have loitering people harassing their customers.
To not have loitering people doing damage to their property.
To not have loitering people doing damage to their customer’s property.
To not have loitering people have the possibility to injure their clients causing a lawsuit.
To not have to pay extra liability costs due to people doing something on their property.
To not have to pay money to make an area safe for an unwanted activity that causes problems.

You do know i'm only defending the right to be able to ride through the area, i'm not talking about loitering, trying to do tricks and acting like a general twat right?
If the skateboarder does collide into someone, they are at fault, other than that if a group of kids are just rolling by on there way to there friends house..... its just causing a lot of drama over what-ifs..... and thats exactly what we want right? The people in power making rule after rule to protect us from ourselves right?

Pedestrian have the right:
To have the right of way, ALWAYS.
To not have to worry about being knocked down, pushed down, or someone falling on them from engaging in an activity in an area not designed for it.

Your right, which is why whenever I was skate boarding.... if the person didn't notice me within an appropriate distance (no eye contact, and hasn't moved over from hearing my board getting closer) I stop and go around em. I never even took to the time to learn how to do tricks and learn complete balance over the board (I've not broken a bone and plan Try to keep it that way), yet I had no problem going around people.

If the kid is doing a trick.... and the person gets hurt then I hear ya..... but a skateboard is a F#@%!NG TRANSPORTATION DEVICE..... and last time I checked there aren't "skateboard lanes" So stop trying to debate whether or not someone trying to get from point a to point b, should stop every 20 feet, to look around and see if there is a damn sign saying they can't go on the only place for them when it comes to using it for transport; the sidewalk, for the next 30 yards. That just ridiculous and stupid, which is why kids ride the sidewalk, and why they will continue too and always will ride the sidewalk

I can't see what your trying to point out by telling me the "rights" of everyone. If you really want to go on and on with these rules to tell me whats right and whats wrong.... I'm scared for you bro cause..... if your to weak to think outside of the box and just cite rights to me..... then I doubt your gonna have much of a life if the powers that be start telling us when to # and when to sleep. "oh why uh yesur i'll bow to your logic"

Skateboarders have to right:
To engage in their activity on their own property.
To engage in their activity in areas designated for their activity, in compliance with the rules of that area.

Make it any clearer?

I totally agree when they are doing their olies, pops and poops, thats already dangerous enough to the person performing it..... but seriously who the He!! walks to the skatepark with a board..... thats just sad. You know one skatepark I went to had a pair of large metal signs with rules, one particular one that only permited skateboarders to be there, due to the fact that a boarder could get #ed up easily by someone on a bike and a few of other possibilities..... yet do these holy guards of america uphold those rules? No.... because all it is today is taking rules and distorting them to fit what you think fits, instead of just taking them for face value.

People draw to many conclusion out of set rules, in the end distorting and twisting the rules to what they think should and shouldn't be allowed to preserve those rules (huh.... now i'm starting to think of a few religious topics I was chatting in a little while ago XD)

Yeah, you've made that quite clear.

Funny how people who engage in other hobbies that require a designated area, such as flying RC planes or model rockets, seem to understand this very simple concept, eh?

XD your comparing riding around town on a skateboard to flying rc planes and rockets LOL
How smug you are with "seem to understand this very simple concept" makes all of this all the more fun to throw back..... So i'm assuming since there are parks that allow people to do stunts with bicycles, that you'd say it would be wrong for people to use them anywhere else, given there is no such thing as "bike lanes"?

Is that point to hard to comprehend?

reply to post by jnyblujns


That's the same as everyone laughing at conspiracy theorists cause they are such idiots... oh wait, not all of them are? eh who cares right? Just add some fuel. Yeah there are cops out that are idiots but laughing because a cop is killed? And they are one of the things wrong with America... right.

reply to post by ProphecyPhD

And what about the loony toon that kills a pregnant wife, 6 year old kid and husband plus 3 others? I guess we should be happy to kill all possible people that might do something like that because of who they are? But hey, there is no convincing the anti-american, down with the goverment type anyway.

Originally posted by defcon5
1)When the video starts all you see is a 13 year old CHILD on his back on the concrete getting choked by an officer of the "law".
As stated, a video shot by, edited by, and uploaded by one of the defendants. Other video and the public at the scene unanimously support the officers actions.

Not another witness, another defendant, as in one of the other skateboarders. You can even hear one woman walking by state “Oh your running from the police, that’s smart too”. The public that was there obviously were in agreement with the officer as well.

Yeah.... her sarcastically acknowledging that running from a cop is totally her saying that she completely agreed with how the officer treated the situation. Your not assuming at all.

I get the point of saying that maybe the cop was justified, but where you there? Did you see Everything that happened? XD lol So ridiculous trying argue about who was in the right when non of us were even there to see it ourselves, just a bunch of bs conjecture from both sides.

This breaks my heart. I live in a community where scootering and skateboarding were once considered a great way for the local kids to get to school and home. In fact, when we first moved here, the school principal suggested we get our son a scooter. Two years later, the Town Hall decided not to allow skateboarding on the sidewalks and they then banned it downtown because it was upsetting to tourists. This is a town which was designed to encourage family get to-gethers downtown with water fountains and theater and festivals with bands and so on. Now suddenly skateboards were being banned, and now kids are skateboarding in the street because it was banned on the sidewalk. The local police would chase the kids around when they skateboarded downtown. That is what I see in this video and the cop is just going after some kids skateboarding on the sidewalk. But that is where our society has gone. I feel for those kids, but it is probably a local ordinance because pedestrians get upset. That cop was really trying to make a statement, I'm guessing that is his beat and he's tired of chasing the skateboarders.
Some people here assume the kids had to be doing something really bad. I don't think it's necessarily so because of my experience where I live. I bet the worst they did was not get off the sidewalk when the cop came around.
edit:
Oh yah, I now see a post where it explains there was a city ordinance. I'm guessing the cop felt that was the only way to enforce it. It is too bad things have come to this.

Originally posted by ThirdEyeofHorus
This breaks my heart. I live in a community where scootering and skateboarding were once considered a great way for the local kids to get to school and home. In fact, when we first moved here, the school principal suggested we get our son a scooter. Two years later, the Town Hall decided not to allow skateboarding on the sidewalks and they then banned it downtown because it was upsetting to tourists. This is a town which was designed to encourage family get to-gethers downtown with water fountains and theater and festivals with bands and so on. Now suddenly skateboards were being banned, and now kids are skateboarding in the street because it was banned on the sidewalk. The local police would chase the kids around when they skateboarded downtown. That is what I see in this video and the cop is just going after some kids skateboarding on the sidewalk. But that is where our society has gone. I feel for those kids, but it is probably a local ordinance because pedestrians get upset. That cop was really trying to make a statement, I'm guessing that is his beat and he's tired of chasing the skateboarders.
Some people here assume the kids had to be doing something really bad. I don't think it's necessarily so because of my experience where I live. I bet the worst they did was not get off the sidewalk when the cop came around.
edit:
Oh yah, I now see a post where it explains there was a city ordinance. I'm guessing the cop felt that was the only way to enforce it. It is too bad things have come to this.

edit on 22-4-2011 by ThirdEyeofHorus because: (no reason given)

edit on 22-4-2011 by ThirdEyeofHorus because: (no reason given)

edit on 22-4-2011 by ThirdEyeofHorus because: (no reason given)

Well someone seems to get/feel the same way I did. At least the kids are outside getting exercise as opposed to playing video games and watching the 80% of what tv is; garbage.