officers - The Black Vault

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Briseno broke ranks with his
fellow officers in the Simi Valley
triaJ. by testifying that the others
were "out of control," that he
tried to stop the beating and that
Koon could have handled the situation
better. In response, Stone
called witnesses-to show that Briseno_
~ay have been lying.
In his statement, Briseno said,
"Insofar as Mr. Stone became tlie
embodiment and instrumentality
of the 'code of silence' at the Simi
trial, J:, if such witnesses are
called again, intend to assert that
Mr. Stone was part of a conspiracy
to defam.e an9. quiet me."
· Stone has denied the charges'
·. and wants a hearing io air .the accusations
and clear his name.
Last week, Koon joined the
fray ·with a motion to disqualify
· Stone on' co·nflict:of-interest
grounds. · ·
. Meanwhile, three defendants
.' have· aske.d to be tried separately
. from Briseno because of his testi­
. in,OJ?.Y aga~nst t~em in the. last
. tnal. ·· ·
Heading the government's list ·
of requests is the admission into
evidence ofp·rior acts of niisconduct
by Powelf, Koon and. Briseno.
The government said such
evidence will bolster their claim
that the officers acted with intent !
- rather than out of fear or by !
accident - when they repeatedly :
struck King after a high-speed /
chase on March 3, 1991.
Unlike the Simi Valley trial, !
prosecutors in the federal trial !
must prove that the officers in- ,
tended to harm King to conv:ict 1 1
them of civil-rights charges.
Prosecutors want to introduce 1
previously undisclosed evidence :
that Powell beat a handcuffed ju- l
. venile in his cu~todyjust months 1
before the King· beating.
Prosecutors also want jurors to
near evidence ofa -1987 incident
in which Briseno ,is accused of
stomphig on the head of a handcuffed
suspect and striking him .
·with baton blows; then trying to
cover up the incident .Briseno.re­
. ceh:ed a 66-day suspension for
·the beating. ·
·Finally, the government intenas
to tell jurors of what iVdesctibes
as Koon's failu're to
promptly file a ·use-of-forc.e re- ,
port for the 1986 police 'Q~at.jng :
ofajl!venile. ' ,;,;'f · ~
Lawyers for all three o1fl-cers :
said· the prior-act evidence :
should b~ excluded because it has ,I
no dir~qt. bearing on the King
·beating.
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