officers - The Black Vault

•
factor in the beating, but following the release of
the computer logs, he noted "it is a reasonable
interpretation that there is a racial slur here."
Long after King was rushed to the hospital for
treatment of broken bones and multiple cuts and
bruises, another me888.ge was sent to the second
patrol unit. This one declared: "I haven't beaten
anyone this bad in a long time." ·
The officer in the second car responded: "Oh
not again .•• why for you do that ••• I thought
you agreed to chill out for awhile .•• what did he
do?"
This brought a response: "I think he was dusted
(on PCP) •.• many broken bones later •••
after the pursuit.,
The two officers in the first car - identified as
16A23 - were Laurence Powell, 28, and Timothy
Wind, 30, said Cmdr. Rick Dinse, who is charge
of both the department's criminal and administrative
investigation.
Dinse said the previous call involved a domestic
dispute within a black family, which was
settled without violence but added to the belief
'that racial factors may have played a role in the
beating.
Officials have not yet determined conclusively ·
which of the ~o officers typed the messages,
Dinse said.
The logs contain no reference to communicationa
by the third indicted officer, Theodore Bri-
seno, 38. But the sergeant, Stacey Koon, 40, seJ?,t
the following me888.ge to the Foothill Division
station after the incident: .
"You just had a big time use of force .•• tased
(referring to the stun gun) and beat the suspect
of a CHP pursuit, Big Time."
A tape of the police radio communications
released ·Monday also showed that the· officer
who asked for an ambulance for King, informed
the dispatcher that he needed help for "the victim
of a • • • beating," laughed and muttered
somethin~ unintelligible.
The tapes and computer logs, released late
Monday afternoon following a request from
Bradley, detracted from a warm showing of support
Gates received earlier 41 the day.
Se~eral hundred officers kd civilian employees
greeted the chief as he arrived for work· at
Parker Center and chanted "Gates must stay" as
he slowly proc.eeded past them down the crowded
hallways.
His eyes filled with tears, Gates proclaimed
himself the "luckiest man in the world" and
vowed once again not to' resign.
I
Contributing fxl. this article were Copley News
Service writers Norma Meyer and Paul Pringle.
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