Beating of 15-year-old caught on police video

knight_shadow · #1 03-02-2009, 08:34 PM

The link shows the actual video. It looks like the girl kicked her shoes toward the officers, but I don't think the attack was warranted.

A video showing a King County Sheriff's deputy pummeling a 15-year-old girl in a holding cell was released Friday over the strenuous objections of the officer's attorney.

The case goes beyond police misconduct, County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in a prepared statement.

"It's about criminal misconduct. And that's why he needs to be prosecuted," he said.

The video of the Nov. 29 incident was disclosed Friday, one day after Deputy Paul Schene, 31, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault in King County District Court.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/..._schene28.html

MexicanMami0286 · #2 03-02-2009, 08:48 PM

Oh my Jesus!

That is ridiculous, outrageous, and so unwarranted. Shameful!

AKA_Monet · #3 03-02-2009, 08:58 PM

Apparently, the inmate had a verbal altercation and spat on the officer. But, that does not merit the ferocity/viciousness of the "restraint" they felt needed an unruly inmate.

I suspect that whatever was said to the officer, he let it get to him and he acted in kind, although he was the adult and needed to know better. He chose to react in anger... Moreover he did not have clean record, this is his second or third time he has roughed up inmates and has been disciplined for it.

UGAalum94 · #4 03-02-2009, 09:20 PM

Yeah, he's facing criminal charges which certainly seems appropriate to me, and it's hard to image that with that video tape he won't be convicted.

I can understand that a certain range of behavior from a suspect or inmate or whatever could make you mad enough to do what that guy did. I can even accept the possibility that for a very small subsection of jerks on the planet that being thrown to the ground by your hair might be exactly what could make you realize that you weren't quite the badass that you think you are.

However, police officers administering beat downs to suspects already under the control of the officers involved has no place in our justice system.

I.A.S.K. · #5 03-02-2009, 09:23 PM

"Schene could face up to a year in jail if convicted. He has been on administrative leave since early December."

One year? Assaulting a minor must not be a big deal. And was he serious with the whole "her sneaker made a bruise on my shin" GTFOH. He needs to do some serious time for the crime.

I've never heard of the lippy statute. When did mouthing off at cops become illegal?

UGAalum94 · #6 03-02-2009, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

"Schene could face up to a year in jail if convicted. He has been on administrative leave since early December."

One year? Assaulting a minor must not be a big deal. And was he serious with the whole "her sneaker made a bruise on my shin" GTFOH. He needs to do some serious time for the crime.

Apparently, it doesn't meet the standard for it to be a felony.

From the article,"The girl said that she couldn't breathe after the incident, prompting the deputies to call paramedics.

Paramedics decided that she didn't require hospitalization. Felony charges require proof of serious injury."

And there is the additional penalty of being completely removed from his profession for life, too, which certainly follow his conviction, right?

ETA: if the two overhead strikes that the article mentions didn't actually hit the girl, maybe it was more about scaring her than really hurting her. Not that it makes it okay, by any stretch, but I'm trying to figure out as bad as the attack looks how she wouldn't be seriously injured. And I guess that since it happened a while ago, if she really had been, we'd be seeing photos released by her.

EATA: I just watched the video again. How could she not be seriously hurt? It looks like he slams her head against the wall, throws her to the ground by her hair, punches her twice in the head, she appears to basically be completely limp, and then he picks her up by the hair. What is the standard for being seriously injured?

I.A.S.K. · #7 03-02-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Apparently, it doesn't meet the standard for it to be a felony.

From the article,"The girl said that she couldn't breathe after the incident, prompting the deputies to call paramedics.

Paramedics decided that she didn't require hospitalization. Felony charges require proof of serious injury."

And there is the additional penalty of being completely removed from his profession for life, too, which certainly follow his conviction, right?

I just feel like the fact that this is a child and the fact that she was in police custody and not doing anything should make it a bit more severe of a crime. I think regardless of whether or not he is convicted he should lose his job and not be allowed to join a public force again. His record certainly proves that he is much more of a risk than the police force or any force needs.

UGAalum94 · #8 03-02-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

I just feel like the fact that this is a child and the fact that she was in police custody and not doing anything should make it a bit more severe of a crime. I think regardless of whether or not he is convicted he should lose his job and not be allowed to join a public force again. His record certainly proves that he is much more of a risk than the police force or any force needs.

Oh, I agree. I think he is done as a police officer.

A video of an interview with the victim here is interesting:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4837663n

Her description of whether they stole the car is unintentionally funny. The officer was rude calling them car thieves. They didn't really steal the car; they just borrowed a friend's parents' car without permission.

I think she and her dad come across really well, but again, I wonder how he wouldn't have known how serious it was the first time he saw her after the attack. How was she not visibly injured? I'm in no way finding fault with the dad. I'm just baffled that she wasn't all beaten up.

Another sick part: the other officer was in training at the time. What was he being trained to do?

AGDee · #9 03-03-2009, 06:36 AM

As I've mentioned before, I worked on inpatient psych units for over a decade. We were trained in non-violent patient restraint, methods approved by the state mental health department. Some of our patients could be completely out of control and quite aggressive but we were all trained in how to restrain them without injuring ourselves or them. I've seen mental health techs get weapons from highly out of out control patients without the patient being injured. I was able to personally take down any 15 year old girl that came onto our floor. There is no excuse for beating an adult who is in a cell, let alone a kid. And yeah, sometimes those patients were trying to spit at us, bite us, kick us, hit us. We could do it. I don't understand why police aren't trained in those same methods.

DaemonSeid · #10 03-03-2009, 04:00 PM

uuhhh...aren't we talking about males hitting females in another thread?

Dayum Deja Vu Video.

Dumb...just dumb and he hit a minor at that.

O well.

PeppyGPhiB · #11 03-03-2009, 04:17 PM

Yeah, this guy is getting a lot of bad press here. No one is on his side, not even the Sheriff's office. Beyond the obviously-more-serious-than-fourth-degree-assault, the girl was not an "inmate" as others have said...she had just been picked up and I imagine no charges had even been filed against her yet. This took place at a holding facility, not even a jail. She kicked off her shoes as people in police custody are often told to do. Combined with his past record - two self-defense shootings, which surely raised red flags - this guy appears to be way too hot-headed to be in a position of authority.