Student: 'Beating So Bad Thought I Was Going To Die'

Student: 'Beating So Bad Thought I Was Going To Die'

www.wpxi.com

Police charged Jordan Miles, 18, with assault and resisting arrest Jan. 11 because, they said, he fought with the officers who thought a "heavy object" in his coat was a gun. It turned out to be a bottle of Mountain Dew.

Miles said he resisted because he thought the men were trying to abduct him and didn't identify themselves as police.

Miles' family and attorney said he was hit with a stun gun and hospitalized after the violent Homewood struggle during which a chunk of his hair was yanked out and a tree branch went through his gums.

"I was accused for something I never had anyth

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I just found this, did a quick search, but i didn't see it posted. if it was, please move/remove, thanks!

Are the cops still on a high from the G20 summit or something? This kid is a honors student, and a violinist who was approached by plain clothed cops in Pittsburgh, PA. The cops apparently thought an object in his pocket was a gun. But it turned out to be a bottle of soda! WTH?

I'M glad cops are protecting us from those crazy violinists who drink mountain dew. /Sarcasm

what are your thoughts guys?

www.wpxi.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 1/23/2010 by ugie1028]

Its sad to see this. I can't imagine why they had to beat him like that. Having been a CITY police officer for 9 years now I deal with the worst scum out there and trust me, you gotta be careful and pat people down. I have no problem with the cops stopping him and talking to him, asking for a pat down or even a consent search, but even if the guy refuses its not a personal thing...so let him move on. If you have enough ARS then do a quick pat down regardless.

Did the police identify themselves, no idea I wasn't there so I WILL NOT assume so. Did the guy resist or actually take an offensive action against the officers, no idea I wasn't there so I WILL NOT assume so.

I have had to go hands on with many a man in my years, yes I punched, kicked, choked, etc..to save my a@@, but I have never had to (especially with backup) beat a man senseless. Bottom line is, I wasn't there, I have NO IDEA the truth to this story from either side, so I'll be waiting to get updates.

Just to add: The cosmetic damage done to a persons face does NOT always show the truth behind what actually happened. Here in Atlanta we had an MMA fighter attack an officer and 2 officers did have to beat him pretty bad to make him stop. Both eyes were swollen shut, hair was missing, and 3 teeth were knocked out....when people saw the guys face they SCREAMED police brutality, SCREAMED for their termination, SCREAMED the officers be charged, etc....that was until they saw the video footage and what really happened...even with all of his damage, he managed to get his hand on an officers pistol and ALMOST unholster it....so trust me, its not all as it appears everytime...just FYI...

Well my thoughts are these. First, although I understand to a degree that public saftey is important, I cannot understand how a trained cop can mistake a bottle of mountain dew for a gun and retain his badge. Certainly not if he decides that instead of merely arresting a suspect, he is going to cause said suspect severe physical harm on the basis of such errors.
Now of course I dont think that police should put themselves in danger by giving a suspect a chance to shoot them, but SURELY there is a better way to deal with someone you merely suspect of having a gun, than to jump on them and beat crap out of them.

reply to post by TrueBrit


I agree to a point. there are some things in pockets that get tough to identify and CAN be mistaken for a weapon. Now I agree, no need to freak out, just make sure you know were the guys hands are and if you THINK it is a gun, the SCOTUS has already given us the authority to reach in that pocket to pull it out and identify if. So if this officer did think this guy was armed, simply pull it out. If it is a weapon, ask for his permit, he can't produce said permit, handcuff him....not really that difficult..lol

reply to post by rcwj1975


seems simple, but i don't these cops got it right.

Did they check his pocket before, or after they kicked the crap out of this kid?

he was 18, an honors student, and a violinist. I don't know what really happened, besides what the news article covers, but from what it looks like these cops were in the wrong. as you said, they could of just dug through his pocket, end of story. the kid also said they didn't identify themselves, and he defended himself. the beating he got, wasn't deserved.

Well - that's a good point about the damage. But, I'm guessing a MMA fighter is probably usually in better shape and far more used to taking a pounding than an 18 year old violinist. I wonder if (true or not) the people on the receiving end of one these ever have the thought - "If I stop resisting they may kill me.."

I'm not saying the cops would intentionally kill someone if they stopped resisting. I'm just that if you are taking a pounding like that it the fight or flight reflex might kick in.

Anyway - I saw where some city was putting "head cams" on their officers. I'm not sure it would have helped in this case since they were plain clothes - but it might help sort out what happened in lots of others.

reply to post by rcwj1975


rcwj1975 that was probably the most level headed response we could hope for. I agree the incident is awful and from my own personal experience I am mistrustful of police as a whole but you are right that making a judgement on an incident without all the facts would be foolish.

Cheers

Originally posted by ugie1028
seems simple, but i don't these cops got it right.

Did they check his pocket before, or after they kicked the crap out of this kid?

That is why I said I will not make a judgement call until I know more. Don't let the STORY get to your emotions...FACTS should do that.

he was 18, an honors student, and a violinist.

Well here is a problem I can see. At 18 you can be VERY dangerous. I promise you there are 18 year olds out there that WILL and CAN kick your a@@ and mine. So please don't focus on 18. Honors student means ABSOLUTLY nothing. I have arrested honors students for rape, burglary, robbery, etc...so just because they do well in a classroom doesn't mean they are clean outside school. And sometimes they think because they are honors or 4.0 students, they can outsmart us, so it becomes a game of sorts. Also, the violinist part plays no weight in anything, IMO, well accept I wonder if he can play DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA...lol.

Does this mean this guy is a bad guy, no, he may be everything the story says and that is great he is doing so well.

I don't know what really happened, besides what the news article covers, but from what it looks like these cops were in the wrong. as you said, they could of just dug through his pocket, end of story. the kid also said they didn't identify themselves, and he defended himself. the beating he got, wasn't deserved.

Again your focusing on what it LOOKS like and ONE story.

Stories should be questioned and bring rational open thoughts...
Facts should bring out the emotions and final thoughts...

Originally posted by ugie1028
reply to post by rcwj1975

 

I don't know what really happened...

So how are you arriving at the conclusion that the cops are wrong? Why not stay neutral, until you do "know what really happened"? Innocent until proven guilty applies, equally, to the cops and the kid. Does it not?

reply to post by rcwj1975


Of course you are right to concentrate on the facts of this case, and there will no doubt be elements to this that we have not heard. If Im not mistaken the story goes that the kid was hit with a stun gun (assuming tazer?) . If this is true, normaly a beating would be completely over the top. What is your opinion on that, and have you ever had cause to follow a stun with something more brutal ?

Police have to be reminded that they are only here to protect and serve, not beat the crap out of the citizens they are supposed to protect.

He was part of the protect and serve part of the population. I feel strongly that when police abuse their power and trample on our freedoms then they should probably move to North Korea were that kind of behavior is expected by law enforcement.

I guess you have to ask yourself at the end of the day, are you a tyrant, or a human being?

Originally posted by WTFover

Originally posted by ugie1028
reply to post by rcwj1975

 

I don't know what really happened...

So how are you arriving at the conclusion that the cops are wrong? Why not stay neutral, until you do "know what really happened"? Innocent until proven guilty applies, equally, to the cops and the kid. Does it not?

I said i think, its an opinion. i am not calling for their heads or anything. Just the condition that kid was in, and that they thought he had a gun, which turned out to be a bottle of soda. I checked myself though, i still don't know what happened, but from how it all ended up it looks like (IMO) that they may be in the wrong, with the force they used, and what it ended up being. (soda)

I want to see what else comes from this. I want to know both sides to make a better judgment, but thanks for checking me on my flub.

Originally posted by WTFover

So how are you arriving at the conclusion that the cops are wrong? Why not stay neutral, until you do "know what really happened"? Innocent until proven guilty applies, equally, to the cops and the kid. Does it not?

You must of misunderstood me, or my wording confused you. I am not saying they are guilty of anything. What I am saying is, he obviously got his a@@ kicked, and I never had to beat someone that bad, but yes this incident could be different. Thats it. Could this come out that it WAS justified...sure. I am going to wait and see.

Again, in my posts I stated I WILL NOT assume anything, just take what I have for now and then wait for more.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
Of course you are right to concentrate on the facts of this case, and there will no doubt be elements to this that we have not heard. If Im not mistaken the story goes that the kid was hit with a stun gun (assuming tazer?) . If this is true, normaly a beating would be completely over the top. What is your opinion on that, and have you ever had cause to follow a stun with something more brutal ?

Yes I have had to follow a taser shot with hands on. The taser is a good tool, but not the cure all, stop all, save all weapon. I have the experiance of shooting my taser into the back of a short stocky guy (bout 5'7 245lbs) and the probes were in perfectly (he was shirtless) and this guy turned around ripping them out and came at me. 98% of the time it works, even with clothing on, but you better be ready for the moment it doesn't or your suspect is some freak..lol

reply to post by rcwj1975


My post was in reply to ugie's reply to your post. It was not directed at you.

reply to post by WTFover


again, thanks for grounding me. some of this can cloud judgment. its nice to be grounded, and re-access with what you were saying.

its still one hell of a beating that kid received though. i hope more info on this comes out soon.

There is no way in hell I would ever yield to someone in plain clothes identifying themselves as a police officer. Not even a badge will suffice, as they are easily faked or mimicked. They would need to step out of the driver's seat of a patrol car to convince me.

The kid is in the right here. Plain clothes cops should be for undercover, and for obvious cases, not just patrolling the streets and beating the snot out of kids because they, quote.. "resisted".

How many people have been put in the hospital for the nefarious "resisting arrest" BS?

These 2 "cops" need to have the tables turned on them and see how they like getting their teeth knocked in for no reason. What a disgrace.

[edit on 23-1-2010 by SyphonX]

reply to post by rcwj1975


You seem to be neglecting the fact that they were in plain clothes. This is obvious trouble if you want to just approach a random person on the street. How would you like it if 2 guys came up and grabbed you, tried to pull you away, throw you to the ground and said, "Don't worry, we're police."... ??

You just.. don't do that. It's common sense.

They should have requested uniformed backup. I can't see how the situation could have been *so* critical, as to warrant such a scuffle.

People are never taught to recognize an officer in plain clothes, ever. Citizens yield to a cop in uniform, always. The only thing a plain clothes officer needs to be doing is observing, and in *severe* situations, taking action. I mean.. that's just the way it is, and the way it should be. Citizens are not able to properly yield to a non-uniformed cop.

[edit on 23-1-2010 by SyphonX]

reply to post by ugie1028


No worries. I understand it is our nature to allow sympathy to be a strong controller of our emotions. At least those of us who have a heart. Thanks for not taking my post as insulting, as it was not intended to be. But, sometimes I can come off that way.