A new video could vindicate a man who who says police attacked him for no good reason.
A New Mexico man plans to sue police for a “vicious” attack that cracked his skull. A shocking recording of the beating seems to contradict an officer’s report of the incident, KRQE News reports.
Russ Flynn of Las Cruces was arrested in December for allegedly pointing a gun at a neighbor in a parking dispute– and then ignoring an officer’s command.
After his arrest, police cuffed Flynn and put him in a jail cell. Everything was standard procedure until Flynn said he kicked the cell door and mouthed off at an officer.
That’s when the video appears to show Officers Richard Garcia and Danny Salcido enter the cell and slam Flynn against the wall. They then push him onto a bench as one officer repeatedly knees Flynn.
The video then shows the officers swing Flynn around and smash his head into the wall before throwing him onto the ground.
The whole time Flynn appears to just take it, not fighting back at all.
Flynn was hospitalized for several days in the Intensive Care Unit because of a skull fracture. His lawyer says he intends to sue the department for $12.5 million, WRAL reports.
“It’s absolutely shocking,” said attorney Christopher Cardenas, an attorney at the firm representing Flynn. “It was a vicious attack on Mr. Flynn. Mr. Flynn was handcuffed. He was already in police custody. So he was posing no threat to the officers.”
Garcia’s account of the incident, written in a report, seems to tell a different story, KRQE reports.
Garcia wrote that Flynn was “walked back” against the wall and that Flynn was kneed to “distract” him from going for an officer’s belt.
The report also says that Flynn pinned an officer against the wall.
Flynn’s lawyer is also calling for criminal charges. LCPD has not spoken to media about the incident, except to say they are investigating.
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