What does it take for an Austin Cop to be held legally responsible for his actions in this city?
/
- Caught on Video: Unarmed, Faced Down, Handcuffed Latino Man Beat Down by Police = Jury Acquits
The question is hardly rhetorical, in the wake of a jury's acquittal last week of APD Officer Christopher Gray and former Officer William Heilman (with another officer yet to be tried) on charges of "official oppression," after their arrest and beating of a handcuffed Ramon Hernandez last September – much of it caught on APD videotape. As the trial proceeded, local TV featured repeated viewings of a final sequence, as described by Chronicle reporter Jordan Smith: "In total, Gray delivers 14 punches to Hernandez's kidney area; while [Officer Joel] Follmer straddles Hernandez, apparently delivering at least one additional drive-stun Taser shot to Hernandez's legs; and Heilman stands with his boot on Hernandez's shoulder, keeping Hernandez pressed into the dirt." That description is in fact antiseptic – Hernandez is visibly helpless, cuffed and face-down on the ground, and Gray's relentless punches are delivered with all his strength, while the other officers barely have room to get in their own shots. As Smith points out, at a minimum, the officers violated the official APD Taser policy; whatever else happened, they were undoubtedly lucky that they didn't injure Hernandez more seriously. [more]
