5 Alabama police officers fired over beating caught on camera

[Speedy Samurai]

To the five officers - Not cool!

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/20/alabama.police.beating/index.html

 

[Northstar]

Wow, he wasn't even moving there he was just limp on the ground. I could maybe understand if he was being combative but he was just thrown out of a van and probably had injuries from the crash and being tossed out of a vehicle.

Also, just an observation. The victim appeared to be African-American and all the officers were white. I wouldn't be surprised if racism played a part in the beating.(Not saying all people from Alabama are racist but it seems there is still racial tension in some southern states)

 

[DaddyVDUB]

That is just a shame, while there is no excuse for the officers continued hitting the suspect,you can understand there urgency in takng down what was clearly some one with no regard for the safety of anyone in his way...AND he did attempt to run over an officer.

 

[Northstar]

He was also lying on the ground not moving at all after being thrown out of a vehicle.

 

[Omnis]

Just thugs chasing thugs. I feel bad for the spikestrip guy who got hit by the van and for the rest of the (hopefully) good employees. Birmingham is the armpit of America, though.

 

[a6m5]

I shouldn't make excuses for the officers, but I don't know if I'd have fired all officers involved. Maybe I would have, maybe not all of them. Then again, you are talking to a guy who has very little concern for the rights of people who violate the rights of others.

 

[Northstar]

I shouldn't make excuses for the officers, but I don't know if I'd have fired all officers involved. Maybe I would have, maybe not all of them. Then again, you are talking to a guy who has very little concern for the rights of people who violate the rights of others.

Well you could make a good argument for the cops taking the guy's rights away. It is taking away someones right when you use excessive force which was clearly used.

 

[a6m5]

Well you could make a good argument for the cops taking the guy's rights away.

That's an understatement. I don't think that's a good argument, I'd say that's a fact. I thought I made it clear that I don't support the actions of the officers, but if I didn't, I apologize.

 

[Speedy Samurai]

I don't necessarily think racism was involved. If I read correctly, one of the officers involved was black. I think the beating came as some sort of retaliation for the driver almost running over the officer who laid down the spike strip.

Beating a defenseless(and probably injured) person, though. You really have to lack some kind of sense to do something like that.

 

[a6m5]

Beating a defenseless(and probably injured) person, though. You really have to lack some kind of sense to do something like that.

See, this is where I was kind of thinking "Cops are human, too". I can see the overreaction on their part, kind of like in Hockey.

Bottom line though, yes, it was 100% wrong. I have no doubt that the firing of officers involved is completely justified.

 

[Swiss Legend]

fellow Oregonian^...nice..
The beating of a man that was just flung from a vehicle and rendered unconscious is completely sickening. However looking at it from the cops angle...if someone just tried to run over one of your fellow cops, you'd be pissed too. I am not at all justifying their dumbass actions. They clearly lost all sense of what their jobs are all about. Just because you are pissed that someone tried to kill one of your co-workers, doesnt give the right to beat the &*^$ you of them when they are unconscious. And the third cop that came into the frame landed so many blows to the head, he should be given prison time for that one.

 

[Prosthetic]

Just thugs chasing thugs. I feel bad for the spikestrip guy who got hit by the van and for the rest of the (hopefully) good employees. Birmingham is the armpit of America, though.

He didn't get hit it seems, it was really close though.

Certainly neither sides were in the right...

 

[TofuStoreDrift]

I believe the firing of the officers is justifiably. The "police are humans too" is correct, but an officer must always keep a cool head. Police officers must uphold the law, otherwise they are nothing but a gang. We don't need armed men with short tempers patrolling the streets. The officers protecting these 5 cops also need to be fired. But, I do think the perp should serve the whole sentence, because we don't need drug pushers on the street either.