| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Space Bar
Joined: 20 Oct 2010
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:03 am Post subject: Boy, 14, blows kiss at cop; gets strangled |
 |
|
Homophobic much?
Bradenton Beach police face lawsuit after �kiss� incident
| Quote: |
BRADENTON BEACH -- A lawsuit was recently filed seeking damages against the Bradenton Beach Police Department after a former patrol officer made a felony battery arrest on a 14-year-old boy who blew a kiss at him.
The 20-page lawsuit filed by a Hillsborough County family is seeking damages after Lance Lewis, 14, and Veronica Lewis, 18, were both arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer on April 20, 2008. Lance Lewis was acquitted and Veronica Lewis� case was dismissed, according to court documents.
The lawsuit states former Bradenton Beach Police Officer Tim Matthews had no probable cause and violated the Fourth Amendment when he arrested the teens who were walking at Coquina Beach.
After Lewis blew the kiss, Matthews responded by getting out of his car and asking Lewis if he was retarded, according to court documents.
Veronica Lewis noticed Matthews was aggressively approaching her brother, who was wearing a cast on a broken arm, and she reacted by stepping between the two, according to court records.
Matthews pushed Veronica Lewis aside and put a choke hold on Lance Lewis, the suit says. Veronica Lewis noticed her brother had a hard time breathing and told Matthews he was killing her brother. She placed her arm on Matthews� arm to attempt to restrain him, according to court records.
�A teenager blowing a kiss at the officer in no way amounts to probable cause to confront the defendants nor does having a kiss blown at Officer Matthews create a reasonable suspicious that the Defendant or her brother were involved in criminal activity or that the defendants were armed and or dangerous,� said Tampa-based defense attorney Alex Hajaistron in court records. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Sounds like an obvious win. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I wouldn't necessarily assume that it was a homophobic act and not just an out of control cop. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
Matthews, who had 13 years of experience in law enforcement at the time of the incident, resigned from the police department shortly after the arrests.
About a month later, he was hired at the Palmetto Police Department. |
I'm not certainly exactly what the procedure for hiring police officers is, but I feel like resigning in shame after having put a 14 year old boy with a broken arm in a headlock because he blew you a kiss and essentially trying to frame him for battery should preclude further police employment. This cop could have ruined these kids lives if the court case hadn't gone their way. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
conrad2
Joined: 05 Nov 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Cops in America by and large suck. This wasnt a homophobic incident, just a power hungry cop-nobody thinking he got dissed. I have known people who have applied to become cops in major US cities and after testing they were turned down for being "too smart." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Hammer
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Ullungdo 37.5 N, 130.9 E, altitude : 223 m
|
| Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
| conradtu wrote: |
| Citizens in America by and large suck. This was a homophobic incident, just a power hungry citizen-nobody thinking he got pissed. I have known people who have applied to become citizens in major US cities and after testing they were turned down for being "too stupid." |
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7096993n&tag=topnews |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
