officers - The Black Vault

.· POLICE: ReinefVows to Expand Inv~tigation in Beating ofMotor~t. ~
I . .. . . . '
I · I
.QontinuedfromA1 . . . arrangemen~ for bail: $~0,000 f~r 'involving the California Highway right eye in i~ socket are perma· journey," sam· Danny Bakewell, as weapons. . ·~
Wind, 30, of Canyon Co.untry, and . Koon, Powell and Wind, and ~5,000 Patrol, the LAPD officers and nently damagea, that h~ has suf· president' of the Brotherhood Cru: Criminal law experts inter:;
· . ~eodore J.Briseno, 38; opepul· for Briseno. All made bail and were Kirig. The six•minute tape reveals .fered fractures in the bones at the . sade, an African: American civic viewed Friday termed the charges
· ~da. They did not . enter . pleas. release~. . . .·,·. that. King was described by .CHP base of ·his skull. and remains group. .· ·· · against the four officers tough btit
!~stead, at the request of their .. Becausethegrandjuryinquiry~· officers as .traveling "about 55 co~fusedinthewakeoftheattack .. ·The grand jury spent. Monday bynomeansexcessive;COI)Sidering
.:· attorneys, Superior Court Judge·· continuing, prosecutors pro~ded miles an hour" -10 miles over the . , ,. ·. , through Thursday taking testimo· the graphic videotape that ser.v~s
··'.. Gary Klausner ordered the four to . few details of·the e~dence aga~st' .: speed lintit-as they followed on ' .·The beating is being investigated ny in the case. Fourteen witnesses . as th~·heartofthe case .. :·\ ;
· r~appear next Friday to answer to · the officer~ However, Deputy Dist. Glen oaks Boulevard in Lake View separately by the FBI, ?Dd has also testified, among them the man who . "You don't. have to be a legal
. t echarges: ,·.. · · ·. ·.: Atty. Terry White, vih~ is prose· Terrace. . · · prompted U.S. Atty .. Gen. Dick made the videotape from a nearby expert.to have watched \h~t taee
\~. Itwasthe'first,timetheo(ficers cuting the case, said Powell and · LAPD officers then took over ThornQurgh io order the Justice . balcony,bystandersfromthesame~ andrealizedthat·probablywasn't,a ·
.·. : hadappe~edinpuq~c~inc~~ing's Wind used the~ batons during ilie · the p~suit. They can be heard Department to conduct a nation· , apartni~nt buililing,.a Los Angeles :misdemeanor assault and battecy
· ·' ., h~ating ...· · -:':;·;,.; ·· ·· · ·. . :·· beating, wh.ile · Briseno ~llegedly telling the' dispatcher that' the . ~ide review of 15,000 police b. ru- ·.·Unified School D~\rict. police'offi, · ·taking place," said LoY,ola L~ .
t
· ···j~ey ·began their ~y in t~e . kicked the ~ctim once. Although White. Hyundai. stopped at a red t,aUty complaints. . I , • • ; • ~er \vho was ~t the scene, a~ le~t School Prof. Stanley A. Goldmazy. ..
·diStrict.• attornets. SpeCial Invest!·' : the ~deotape doesnot.show him · Hght on Van Nuys Boulevard .. but. tIn. Los ~n .. geles, the bea(mg ·. tw. ~LAPDof.ficers anqa Cahforma . "But attempt.ed murder.,.,th~.~neXt
g~tions .. pi~islon~the office .that . Strihlng King; Sgt. Koon is being ':' · , . > . :.,..· 0: . . . HighwayPatroloffkerwhopartic· . most serious charge in thes\'kirt~
1 .h~illes. ~rmes ~mmiJted)y;,law. chargedwithas~aultforai~ngand .· · · ·, ·. • · i: a;;, . · · · ; . : · . IP.~ted·i~~.einitialchasei~volvi~r .. ofcases-seemedunUke)r~oo.".~.
1
, ::
.:~{~:c,~~~~J:~~~t~~~~n~~:.:~b;:~~~~:~:m~~o~ ·~{?owell· ... 'It is· a terribl~ mo~e.nt and t{~e!for' s~rious refle~f'ion. ,.· Ki~~~ ~~d~'s in~i~trnent g~es ·:. w~:f:~~~e~i~r~e7en!~ic1~i~
:,' pfmt~d.;They look~d gnm, h~l~g- co~d be sentenced ~a maxi~u~. ., when officers who have SWOrn to uphold the law are · , beyond ~ecommendallons put f~rth cers in criminal cases, ~greed th~ .
·:, bOokmg cards beanng th~ crnnmal . of'seven years and eight months m. . , ,. ,. ·. •, • , · · by ·Gates, who su.ggested· several the ~barges "were appropri* aqg ·
:· .· · case number 100· 7020. beneath . state prison. Wind laces·· a maxi· : IndiCted. for these mos.~ seriOUS felomes.. ~ays after the beating that only the· relevant to the conduct 1!ha~s
'j .. !Heirchins.., ,.~ ·.· · .. mum seven.year prison term,:. ·. . .·:·IRA.-.R~I~'~R.: · ·· ; three patrolmen-and not Sgt. coritainedinthe~deo~pe."';··;~l
."~iPowell was acco.nipailied by hls . w. bile Briseno faces a maxililuni of . .' .. . • ~~~ . Koort ... should face criminal charg • . p t r sa!'d th'y too··.k th, 11,\e .
·r h · t hal f . ·· . · ·DJstnct attorney R th th · t' th · rosecu o s. • . .
... , . er: w, o ~ a c~un ~· mars (. our years. . . . . .., . .;. ., . . . f. , .. . es.,. pr an pro~ec~ ~on, , e King case t 9 the grand ju~
·.. afd h1s. g~rUnend! who ~s also .an . Lawyers for Koon, Powell and' .. ·. ,· . .. .".":· . . . .c~e.f r.ecommended ailrmmstrative . because they w~nted-to bring it {q .
.. 4IP~ offlc~r. Wmd arnved IVlth · Wind decl!ned comment after · I • •• · : ' •• • • dJSCiplme. for Koon and the 11 a speedy, trial,. and White said .·
,~~Wife. BrJseno. and Koon were Friday's arraignment. Briseno's -refused to yicld for pcllce. 'The· prompted Mayor ~om Bradley to other off~cers: ~ho were at the · Friday that he would like to go to
JOmedonly by thelr la~er~. . lawyer, John Barnett, ·sa!~.his eli· . pfficers said there weie "two male ~rder .the Polic~ Com~i~sion to scene. . . ·. . . trial within 60 days. ·Under Propo!
nressedc~nservativel!mbUSl· entisin~ocent.., . . . .~black~ dri~ng the vehicle",and ')DV~Stigate L~P~ .trammg and .. At .that lime, Gates smd h~ . sition 115, passed ·by Califorrl~
¥,ness SUI~, the officers and · ·. "He didn't k1ck Mr. Kmg and he then called for backup. The tape ~ctlcs, and determme whether the· ·. detecti~e~, ~ho c~nd~cte~ their . voters last year, prosecutors m~
t*ir attorneys Jiled past a throng ili~n't commit. any crime,:' Barnett ends with the LAPDofflcers get- depart.ment h~s sho~ a r~ttern of, own.cnmmal mv~sl!gatlon J~to the · b~ass lengthy preliminary hea~' .
oj.r~porters. and 'IT. ~eramen srud. : · ting out of their cars on Foothill bru~hty ag~nst. mmorl~Ies. The beatmg, could. fmd no eVld~nce ings by taking their cases to grana
· w~ting putside Klausner s court- The beating, captured on video· Boulevard and telling the dis· beating has ca~rie~ racial over· that a false pohc~ report was filed, . juries for inilictments. ':·
room on the 13th floor of the tape by an amateur photographer, patcher that "sufficient units" tones because Kmg JS black and the nor could they fmd any reason to . However, lawyers for the fout
.~qwntown Crim!nal Courts Build· has touched off a national furor were on the scene. It does not four indict~d officers ar~ w~ite. prosecute Koon, a 14· year .LAPD ' officers said during Friday's ar:
Irlg, After ~ntermg. ~e courtroom, over pollee misc~ndu~t, as well as incl~de transmissions during the . Respondm~ to ,the 1~d1ctment,. veteran. . . . . raignment that they may challe~~
, ·. Kfausnerca!led.the!l'names. . . calls for the resignation of Pollee beatmg. the mayor srud ~nday: The con· But accordmg to Wh~te, the .the constitutionality of the indic~
!They stood silently as ~e JUdge Chie!Daryl F. Gates. · . The ~deotape, replayed over ·duct of those offiCers on that scene · prosecutor, the grand JUry de· · ments and press for a preliminar:
. r~d from th.e ~s Angeles County Police initially said King, a 2o· and over again on tele~sion sta· that n~ght is the, most reprehens!·· ~ermined th~t Koon wa~ an :·aider . hearing. . .. ·~
Grand Jury milictment. Koon held year-old unemployed construction · lions across the country, shows ble thmg that I ve seen occur m and abettor, Under Cahforma law, "The constitutionality of [PropQ!
h~ head. high, his. chin. tilte~ up· worker who is on parole after a .· King being kicked repeatedly and this city. And I think th~t ~e are that meant he could face the same · sition 115] has yet to be tested;~
rookie officer still on robbery conviction, was pulled struck as many as 56 times by now on the road to bn~gmg to assault charges as the others. Barnett said in asking the judge to
w~d. Wmd, a
probation, cas~ his eyes downw~rd. · over by Foothill Division officers
Powe!Iand Bnseno stared strrught after he led them on a chase that
offlcers wielding batons.
King was held in custody for
~ustice t~o~; who comm1tted the
Illegal acts,
A~though Koon. fired a Taser
stun gun dart at Kmg, that was not
per~it the four to wait until' next
week to enter their pleas. ·~we
ahead. reached 115 m.p.h. on the FoothHI three days before prosecutors de· civil rights leaders, who have cited in the indictment. White need time to evaluate both' the
Tne hearing lasted about 10 Freeway and 80 m.p.h. on surface terniined that, in light of the con· been· highly critical of Gates would not comment on the use of constitutional issues and the grand
minutes. Afterward, the four were streets. duct of the officers, they could not and the LAPD, expressed satlsfac· the stun gun Friday, saying it was jury transcript."
taken to a holding cell, where they On Friday, the LAPD released a press charges against him. He suf. lion at the indictments but said confidential evidence before the Times staff writers leslie Berger,
remained locked up for more than partial tape of radio transmissions fered numerous injuries: his doc- they want more officers punished. grand jury. The indictment men· Paul Feldman, Andrea Ford and Tra~
an 110ur as their lawyers made of the chase along surface ~trcets tors said the bones that ~old his "This is the first leg of a long~ tions only "batons and shod fe~·' Wood contrlbut~ to this stoij. ·~
I