Paintball players say cop beat them up

[homeslice]

One of the best comments I read.

You won't get bruises on your face from paintball if you're wearing a mask, which they claim to have been while playing.

 

[fatboy_ace]

You won't get bruises on your face from paintball if you're wearing a mask, which they claim to have been while playing.

True. But it's the details that make this case so tough. They could have been resisting. Was the "club" used. The kids say yes, but is that the truth? They could have been toe to toe with the cops and not handcuffed at all. Or they could be telling the truth. Something did happen to these kids, but to what degree? Only the people that where there know.

 

[smith625]

So exactly when in the police academy do they teach you to knee 17 year old kids in the face for "wasting your time"? Is this typical Police Officer protocol? Or when did Janet Napolitano issue a Memo to be on the look out for 17 year old kids playing paintball? Because I must have missed it...

So now what happens? People read this story and stories like this and it leads to a fear of law enforcement. Is that what we want? Really? I thought law enforcement were supposed to be "Peace Officers".

Officers like this need to be relieved of their duties and thrown in jail.

You don't actually belive what you are saying do you, look at these kids.

 

[pntbllr228]

Well it should be quote easy to tell if the bruises came from paintballs. Paintball bruises are very distinct looking. Looks like a little red donut. If these kids have big areas of localized swelling, bruises in the shape of a baton, etc., then it wasnt from paintball.

 

[smith625]

Exactly

 

[Bearco]

Two JPSO deputies jailed in connection with beating handcuffed teens in Marrero

by Allen Powell II, The Times-Picayune
Friday May 29, 2009, 4:39 PM

Two Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputies were arrested and booked with battery today in the alleged beating of two Marrero teenagers outside a vacant apartment complex last weekend.

Cornell Farlin, 26, of 3320 Wall Blvd. near Gretna and Shawn Henry, 29, of 742 Fairfax Drive, Terrytown were fired from the department and surrendered to sheriff's investigators. Farlin was booked with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of simple battery. Henry was booked with one count of simple battery.

Farlin is being held in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on $21,000 bond, while Henry has a bond of $500.

Farlin could not be reached for comment. An attorney for Henry said he is not prepared to make a statement.

The deputies are accused of punching and kicking James Shoulders, 17, and Khrystian Thompson, 17, while they were handcuffed outside of a vacant apartment complex in the 6200 block of South Judah Street on May 23. Farlin is also accused of striking both teens with his police baton.

The teenagers, along with two of friends, were playing with paintball guns when deputies responded to a report of gunfire from area residents, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said at a news conference.

Normand said that Farlin refused to give a statement to investigators about the incident, while Henry admitted striking one of the teenagers after several interviews. Deputies Jessica Bergeron, Eddie Martin and Renoid Berthelot were present when the incident occurred, and they corroborated the teenagers' account, Normand said. Those deputies are being investigated administratively, the sheriff said.

Normand stressed that his office moved quickly to investigate the teens claims because he is concerned about maintaining the public's trust. His office chose to investigate the incident criminally, instead of administratively, in order to prevent any appearance of impropriety.

"This type of conduct by our officers will not be tolerated, said Normand, who added that striking anyone who is handcuffed is a clear violation of department policy. "We are not infallible...I can't explain all the actions of our officers."

The parents of Shoulders and Thompson said that they are pleased with Normand's response and that he did not try to shift blame for the beating on to their sons. But authorities did question why the young men were out so late with the paintball guns. The parents said they saw the activity as harmless, and that their sons are old enough to be out late.

Shoulders' father, Lawrence Rankins, said that he hopes his son's ordeal will prompt changes that could prevent a similar incident in the future. His wife, Pleasant Rankins, said that the families were only seeking justice for their son.

"I appreciate the Chief (Deputy Tom Gorman) and the sheriff for going about this the way they did," Lawrence Rankins said. "It's not all officers that are bad, but the ones that are, they need to weed them out."

This is the third time in two years that sheriff's deputies have been publicly accused of using excessive force. In December 2007, deputies were accused of beating Wayne Gayden, 26, Deneil Girod, 29, and Shala Miller, 31, all of Harvey, after a traffic stop near Manhattan Boulevard.

Authorities said a deputy attempted to stop the men after they abruptly turned their vehicle around when they saw officers engaged in another traffic stop. Narcotics were found near the car, and, at the time, Normand said that deputies reported seeing someone toss it from the vehicle. The men were booked with narcotics charges and battery of police officers.

Gayden pled guilty to narcotics charges and received a three-year sentence, Girod pled guilty to narcotics charges and received five years. Charges against Miller were dropped, according to court records.

JPSO never conducted an inquiry into the incident because no formal complaints were filed.

In July 2007, Troy Lawrence Jr., of New Orleans, accused deputies of beating him while he was handcuffed after he was was stopped for speeding in Elmwood. Lawrence, whose arms were handcuffed behind his back, admitted to moving his hands to the front of his body after being placed in a patrol car.

Lawrence, who was 16 at the time, said that a deputy became enraged and beat him while several other deputies participated. That incident is still under investigation by the FBI, spokeswoman Sheila Thorne said Friday.

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/jpos_to_discuss_alleged_beatin.html