As 2 Wash Cops Dragged a White Man Down a Flight of Steps He Yelled "Call Your Supervisor!" But the Force Continuum has No Oversight. Same Cops Participated in the Murder of a Black Man (Manuel Ellis)
From [HERE] and [HERE] Two Tacoma police officers involved in the death of Manuel Ellis have been accused of wrongfully arresting and using excessive force in an unrelated incident three months before their fatal encounter with Ellis.
Timothy “Timmy” Rankine, 32, and Masyih Ford, 29, are named in a new tort claim against the city of Tacoma, stemming from the Dec. 14, 2019 arrest of Dustin Dean, the Seattle Times reported.
A cellphone video of the incident shows the officers dragging Dean down a flight of stairs before Rankine kneels on his back as he lies prone, complaining that the officers are hurting him.
On the night of Dean’s arrest, he and his girlfriend, Vanessa Henriquez-Ray, say, they were having a loud argument in their apartment after coming from a holiday party. In an interview, they insisted it was lighthearted: He adored the crab cakes served at the party; she wasn’t fond of them.
Rankine and Ford responded after two neighbors called 911 just after midnight. The officers (both caught lying in Ellis’ case) claim they heard Henriquez-Ray yelling, leading them to believe she “was in distress and immediate police intervention was necessary,” according to Ford’s report. Ford noted that the officers announced themselves and didn’t get an answer, so they opened the slightly ajar front door and let themselves in. Dean came down the hall, confused about why the officers were there.
Dean was “displaying threat indicators” in the way he stood and held his hands, so officers tried to handcuff him and said they were investigating a domestic disturbance, according to Ford’s report.
In an interview, Dean said the officers did not explain themselves, which is why he passively resisted their attempts to cuff him by keeping his arms out of the officers’ reach.
The tort claim, a precursor to filing a lawsuit, seeks $500,000 in damages, according to Dean’s lawyer, James Bible.
In May, Rankine was charged with manslaughter and two other Tacoma officers were charged with murder and manslaughter in Ellis’ death. Ford was not charged.
Was the court aware of the dragging a white man down a flight of steps incident when it granted Rankine’s release? Tacoma police officers Masyih Ford, left, and Timothy Rankine, were suspended while under investigation for their roles in the death of Manuel Ellis. In setting release conditions, courts usually consider: the nature and circumstances of the charge; the weight of the evidence; the person’s family ties, employment, financial resources, character, physical and mental condition, past conduct, length of residence in the community, prior convictions, and record of appearance in court; flight to avoid prosecution;or failure to appear at court proceedings.
Manuel Ellis was a 33-year-old black man who died on March 3, 2020, during an arrest by police officers in Tacoma, Washington. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department initially claimed that Ellis had attacked a police car and then attacked officers, leading to the arrest. State prosecutors quoted civilian witnesses as saying that Ellis did not attack the police car or officers; they also said it was the officers who initiated the use of physical force on Ellis after a conversation. Video of the incident showed officers repeatedly punching Ellis, choking him, using a Taser, and kneeling on him. State prosecutors stated that "Ellis was not fighting back", citing witness statements and video evidence. A police radio recording showed that Ellis said he "can’t breathe". Ellis told officers "can't breathe, sir" multiple times, according to prosecutors.Ellis was hogtied, face-down, with an officer on him, for at least six minutes, and a spit hood was placed on his head in this position, stated prosecutors.[10] Ellis died at the scene while receiving medical aid from paramedics. [MORE]
In early June 2020, Ellis's death was ruled by county medical examiner Thomas Clark as a homicide due to "hypoxia due to physical restraint", and with "contributing conditions of methamphetamine intoxication and a dilated heart".[2][11] Prosecutors, in May 2021 documents, quoted Clark as saying that additional evidence that emerged after the autopsy concluded indicated that "Ellis's death was not likely caused by methamphetamine intoxication", and further indicated that restraint caused the death.
After Ellis's death, four Tacoma police officers were placed on paid administrative leave; they returned to work two weeks later, with the Tacoma police department stating "there were no known departmental violations". [MORE]
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department conducted a three-month investigation into Ellis's death before disclosing that a Pierce County deputy was present during Ellis's arrest. As a result, in mid-June 2020, Governor of Washington Jay Inslee ordered a new investigation by the Washington State Patrol, while the Washington Attorney General would decide potential criminal charges.
In May 2021, Washington prosecutors charged two Tacoma police officers, Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, with second degree murder for the killing of Ellis, and charged another Tacoma police officer, Timothy Rankine, with first degree manslaughter.
The three officers were taken into custody that day. The officers continued to receive salary in spite of the charges.
The next day, the trio left jail after making bail at $100,000 each. A Tacoma construction company owner said he posted the officers' bail, despite not knowing the officers; he expressed a belief that the officers "were doing their job" and would be acquitted in the trial.