A former New York police officer has pleaded guilty to
federal civil rights charges related to the 1998 death of a Black man
he hit in the head with a walkie-talkie, prosecutors said yesterday.
The former officer, Craig Yokemick, 36, entered the plea to two felony
charges Friday in United States District Court in Manhattan. Mr.
Yokemick admitted violating the civil rights of the suspect, Kenneth
Banks, when he hurled a police radio at him as Mr. Banks tried to
escape on a bicycle. Mr. Banks later died of trauma to the head.
Sentencing was set for Nov. 12. Mr. Yokemick could get up to 10 years
in prison on each charge. A Manhattan grand jury cleared Mr. Yokemick
in 1999 of using excessive force, and the city reportedly paid Mr.
Banks' family $750,000 in a civil settlement. Mr. Yokemick also was
convicted last year of violating the civil rights of a Westchester
County teacher in 2002 when he punched him and threw him to the ground
in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. [more] and [more]
Police say that on October 29, 1998 cops observed Banks
in a drug transaction and when officers tried to arrest him he fled.
Witnesses say that Officer Craig Yokemick came within a few feet of
Banks as he tried to get away on a bicycle and threw his two-pound
walkie-talkie at the suspect. Banks fell from the bike. He died at
Metropolitan Hospital Center on November 10. Twelve days later, the
medical examiner ruled that the thrown radio had killed Banks.
A witness said that after Walker was knocked down and it was clear he was knocked out,
"the police began dragging brother Banks, unconscious, to the van,"
claims Stewart.
"They literally dragged the brother to the van and threw him in as
though he was a dead deer who had been hit crossing the street," adds
Stewart, who provided the investigators with names of other witnesses.
"They just dropped him in there. I don't know whether they really knew
that he was never going to regain consciousness." [more]
A former New York police officer has pleaded guilty to
federal civil rights charges related to the 1998 death of a Black man
he hit in the head with a walkie-talkie, prosecutors said yesterday.
The former officer, Craig Yokemick, 36, entered the plea to two felony
charges Friday in United States District Court in Manhattan. Mr.
Yokemick admitted violating the civil rights of the suspect, Kenneth
Banks, when he hurled a police radio at him as Mr. Banks tried to
escape on a bicycle. Mr. Banks later died of trauma to the head.
Sentencing was set for Nov. 12. Mr. Yokemick could get up to 10 years
in prison on each charge. A Manhattan grand jury cleared Mr. Yokemick
in 1999 of using excessive force, and the city reportedly paid Mr.
Banks' family $750,000 in a civil settlement. Mr. Yokemick also was
convicted last year of violating the civil rights of a Westchester
County teacher in 2002 when he punched him and threw him to the ground
in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. [more] and [more]
Police say that on October 29, 1998 cops observed Banks
in a drug transaction and when officers tried to arrest him he fled.
Witnesses say that Officer Craig Yokemick came within a few feet of
Banks as he tried to get away on a bicycle and threw his two-pound
walkie-talkie at the suspect. Banks fell from the bike. He died at
Metropolitan Hospital Center on November 10. Twelve days later, the
medical examiner ruled that the thrown radio had killed Banks.
A witness said that after Walker was knocked down and it was clear he was knocked out,
"the police began dragging brother Banks, unconscious, to the van,"
claims Stewart.
"They literally dragged the brother to the van and threw him in as
though he was a dead deer who had been hit crossing the street," adds
Stewart, who provided the investigators with names of other witnesses.
"They just dropped him in there. I don't know whether they really knew
that he was never going to regain consciousness." [more]
Unarmed Latino Man reaching for Wallet Shot Dead by Police
The mother and the estate of a Guatemalan immigrant shot
and killed by a Bellevue police officer in August 2001 have filed a
federal lawsuit against Bellevue Police Chief Jim Montgomery and
Michael Hetle, the officer involved. Hetle is no longer is with the
Bellevue police. The suit, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in
Seattle, alleges Montgomery failed to adequately train or discipline
Hetle despite what the suit said was Hetle's history of excessive
force. It seeks unspecified damages for the shooting of 24-year-old
Nelson Martinez Mendez. The killing triggered anger and frustration in
the Latino community over police treatment. Martinez was unarmed when
he was shot in the parking lot of an East Bellevue condominium. Hetle,
responding to a domestic-violence complaint, had been warned Martinez
might have a knife. He shot Martinez twice after the man reached for
what turned out to be a wallet. An inquest jury determined Hetle had
reason to fear for his life when he shot Martinez, and county
prosecutors ruled the killing a justified homicide. [more]
For the past two Saturdays protesters have lined the
sidewalks at the Blytheville Police Department in protest of police
brutality. Part of their concern, as stated on one of their protest
signs, is what happened to Cory Crawford. Crawford, 26, of Blytheville,
died in the early morning hours of July 23, shortly after being taken
into police custody at the Pear Tree Inn in Blytheville, according to
Blytheville Police Chief Royce Carpenter. Autopsy reports from the
medical examiner's office in Little Rock indicate Crawford's death was
due to excited delirium and acute cocaine intoxication with an
extremely high level of cocaine being present in his system. "The
report from the medical examiner specifically noted that Crawford had
numerous superficial wounds consistent with glass and that no cervical
(neck) fracture, no blunt force trauma, no evidence of strangulation
and no head injuries were detected," Carpenter said. Carpenter also
said that prior to the arrival of police at Pear Tree Inn, Crawford
repeatedly rammed his head into a glass door before eventually breaking
the glass. [more]
A former New Folsom prison lieutenant was acquitted
Monday of assaulting an inmate despite testimony from five fellow
guards, but he was convicted of filing a false report. The case
involving Stephen Luke Scarsella renews the debate over what
whistle-blowers and a federal court-appointed monitor say is a
pervasive "code of silence" within the state's prison system, and over
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration's attempts to clean up what
critics say is an often abusive system. Five guards, including a
sergeant, testified that Scarsella, a 49-year-old former lieutenant,
dragged inmate Mel Edward by his leg chains partly down a stairway,
then punched the defenseless inmate twice in the face. Edward was being
forcibly removed from his cell at California State Prison, Sacramento,
commonly known as New Folsom, on June 8, 2002. The guards said they
were subsequently derided as "rats" by fellow officers, and ostracized
for speaking out. Scarsella was fired after the incident. [more]
Orange County jail officials have shown an indifference
to violence against inmates by deputies, who call themselves "psycho
crew" and "the untouchables," according to an inmate who is suing a
second time alleging that he was beaten. Daniel Louis Parra, 36, who is
awaiting trial for murder, states that in both incidents he was pulled
out of a food line, taken down a stairwell out of the view of video
cameras and beaten. Both incidents were investigated by jail officials,
who found no evidence of wrongdoing by jail personnel, said Jon
Fleishman, a sheriff's spokesman. Parra was treated for injuries to his
neck, head, face, eyes and arms after the alleged attacks, his attorney
said. [more]
The plainclothes state narcotics and parole
agents staking out a San Jose house were looking for a parole
violator who was at least 7 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier
than Rodolfo "Rudy" Cardenas, 43, a San Jose construction worker,
who drove up in a van to visit the wanted man. But when Cardenas sped
off for unknown reasons, he was chased by agents in unmarked
vehicles and later on foot. As Cardenas ran around a building
into a parking lot, narcotics agent Michael Walker allegedly
fired through a fence, hitting the man in the back. Most
troubling, the dead man's family and ambulance records say, after
the shooting, paramedics were held back by police for five
critical minutes as Cardenas was bleeding to death. Walker said he shot
Cardenas, who was running away from him, only after the man turned
slightly toward him, and Walker thought he saw a gun in his hands. No
firearm was ever found on Cardenas or at the scene. San Jose police
officers who patted down the father of five right after he was shot
also did not find a weapon. But later, a crime scene investigator going
through Cardenas' bloody clothes found a folding four-inch knife with a
black handle in his left, front pants pocket. Walker said that could
have been the object he mistook for a gun. [more]and [more] Pictured above: Rudy Cardenas.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is
investigating the Sept. 13, 2003 death of Larry "Nickey" Hill, who died
while in local police custody, A.C. Dumas, president of the Flint,
Mich. branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, announced here Monday. Hill, Jr. died Sept. 13, 2003 in police
custody after having been pursued in his Corvette by NPD Officer Steve
Dallas and Howard County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Cogburn. Hill
eventually exited the car and led Dallas and Cogburn on a foot chase
until Hill was captured, handcuffed and transported to the Nashville
Jail. Hill's Corvette was parked near Monday's rally. A picture of the
vehicle is also attached to Hill's tombstone. Hill developed
respiratory problems while being booked into jail and was transported
by ambulance to Howard Memorial Hospital where he died. The Arkansas
State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock autopsied Hill's remains and
concluded that the cause of Hill's death was inconclusive." The autopsy
did, however, state that Hill likely died from choking on his own
vomit. [more]
The shooting of a 15-year-old boy by North
Charleston police officers has left many people in the Chicora-Cherokee
neighborhood angry and frustrated at what they said is an
out-of-control police department. "There was no need for deadly force,"
said Lakeisha Lawson, an eyewitness to the shooting. "They didn't have
to shoot him." After the shooting, police accompanied by dogs broke up
an angry crowd and arrested the teen's mother. Police said the shooting
was justified because the teen threatened officers. The teenager led
officers on a high-speed chase through the Chicora-Cherokee
neighborhood in a stolen truck, police said. According to reports,
police only used their weapons after the teen twice tried to run down
officers. The teen later was treated and released from the Medical
University of South Carolina. [more]
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton commanded 88
top-ranking officers Wednesday to tighten procedures when investigating
the serious use of force and to move decisively to separate officers to
prevent any public perception that they conferred. Bratton said the
move was to help avoid a repeat of what happened in the flashlight
beating of car-theft suspect Stanley Miller in Compton, where
supervisors took about 45 minutes to decide it was a serious
use-of-force incident and to separate officers. The delay in separating
the eight officers involved at the scene has led to allegations of a
coverup. Bratton directed his commanders to immediately implement the
highest level of review if there was any doubt about whether officers'
actions could lead to a suspect's death. During such a probe, known as
a categorical use-of-force investigation, officers must be separated
and interviewed individually.[more]
Six weeks after a suspect was struck 11 times by an
officer wielding a flashlight, Police Chief William Bratton said he
plans to abandon the department's large, bulky metal flashlights in
favor of smaller, lighter ones. Bratton described the proposal as a
direct response to the beating of 36-year-old Stanley Miller, who was
captured on videotape being hit with a flashlight on June 23. The
debate over flashlight use within the LAPD opened in the wake of the
Miller arrest, which drew comparisons to the 1991 beating of Rodney
King, an incident that sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Miller filed
a legal claim for $25 million in the wake of the beating, saying he had
suffered brain damage, spinal injuries and emotional distress.
Flashlights currently used by the LAPD can weigh as much as 2 pounds,
raising issues about the type of injuries they can cause, said LAPD
Inspector General Andre Birotte. Although flashlights can be used by
officers to defend themselves if they are in danger, the tools should
not be seen as alternatives to batons, he added. [more] Pictured above: Stanley Miller shortly after he was accosted by the LAPD.
The Los Angeles Police Commission's Inspector General
Andre Birotte Jr. said last week that residents should not expect an
"a-ha" moment when the LAPD's report on the arrest of Stanley Miller is
released later this month. Birotte said that an article in the Los
Angeles Times severely misquoted him by suggesting that the report
would be released soon, and that it would give residents the insight
and analysis they want. Birotte said the report will most likely be
released on Aug. 23, 60 days after Miller's arrest, and weeks could
pass before any discipline is carried out against the officers
involved, assuming they are found guilty of misconduct. [more]
A 47-year-old man is dead after a police officer
used a Taser gun to subdue him during a struggle. Officers
responded late Monday to a condominium complex after someone
called 911 to report a roommate who was acting unusual.
When officers arrived, they found the roommate, whom the coroner's
office identified as Keith Tucker of Las Vegas, talking
incoherently. Authorities say the officers used their batons and a
Taser gun to subdue Tucker after they say he punched one of the
officers in the chin and kicked another in the chest and legs. Once
they got Tucker handcuffed, the officers noticed he was
having difficulty breathing. Officials say the officers performed CPR
and called an ambulance. Tucker later died at Desert
Springs Hospital. Sheriff Bill Young has said he is rethinking the
department's policy following the Taser-related death of a
handcuffed man in February. [more]
Company that markets Taser Guns Made False Claims: Use of Tasers Linked to Death [more]
Police are seeking a dialogue with black community
leaders following a disturbance Saturday night when officers used
pepper spray and a dog to control a mob in east McKinney. Some members
of the crowd of about 100 people yelled obscenities and incited others
to act against officers responding to a fight in progress call at the
Manor House Apartments in the 700 block of Bumpass Street, according to
police. The officers called for backup units about 10:30 p.m. Saturday
who then used pepper spray and a canine to contain residents, police
said. Authorities arrested Anthony Duckett, 24, along with his mother
Vanessa Duckett, 41 and 26-year-old sister Tekisha Duckett. Anthony
Duckett said the crowd grew angry because of the way police handled the
situation, using pepper spray on a his 16-year-old cousin, mother and
sister. "When these people seen how the police was treating me, they
got upset," Duckett said. "I wasn't even fighting back. I wasn't
cussing at them." [more]
Racist LAPD Out of Control: Two officers used deadly force against Latino Man at the same time a third fired taser gun
Police claimed that Man Attacked them. Videotape from 5 Camera Angles Show Otherwise.
An incident in which two officers fatally
shot a suspect who was hit at the same time with a stun gun fired by a
third officer has been called a "problem shooting" by Los Angeles
Police Chief William J. Bratton. Erick Jerome Garcia, 36, was shot in
the early hours of July 16 at a Greyhound bus terminal. Officers are reviewing videotape taken by security
cameras at the facility, showing the deadly encounter from five
different angles, according to police sources. Initial accounts described two
officers firing at Garcia, who had been acting erratically and had
thrown a computer at officers. He allegedly dived through the space
beneath the counter with a small, pointed metal object.But LAPD sources
said the videotape shows a man at the bus station crawling with the
metal object at his side, and being shot by officers from at least 12
feet away. Craig Harvey, director of operations for the Los Angeles
coroner's office, said Garcia was shot four times: in the head, chest
and leg [more]
At least 19 Black Men Have Died in Violent Confrontations with Cincinnati police since 1995.
A police watchdog panel voted Monday to accept its
investigators' findings that three officers who repeatedly struck a
black man with nightsticks to subdue him shortly before he died used
excessive force and should be severely disciplined. Cincinnati's
Citizen Complaint Authority also accepted findings that the three
officers and four other officers involved in the arrest of Nathaniel
Jones followed improper procedure and should undergo retraining. "Mr.
Jones' death was clearly the result of several tragic mistakes," CCA
Executive Director Wendell France said. "We cannot and will not say
that any of these officers acted with any malice." Jones, 41, died Nov.
30 shortly after a confrontation with police in the parking lot of a
fast-food restaurant. Video from restaurant surveillance cameras and a
police cruiser showed that Jones knocked over one officer before others
jabbed or struck him more than two dozen times with nightsticks. The
350-pound Jones stopped breathing shortly after he was handcuffed. In
2001, there were three nights of rioting after an officer fatally shot
an unarmed black man who was wanted on misdemeanor charges when he ran
from officers. The officer was acquitted of criminal charges. [more]
In November the Cincinnati Police fatal beating of Nathaniel Jones was
captured on video tape. NO officers were charged in the beating.
Nathaniel Jones pictured above. [more]
Mortgage Banker humiliated by cops
A Raleigh man claims that he recently was stopped at
gunpoint by police, handcuffed and questioned and that police soon
realized they had the wrong guy. Mortgage broker Patrick Riley said he
and his cousin were driving to a fast-food restaurant Saturday to get
lunch for his son when they were stopped by officers looking for two
men from an earlier shooting. Police later arrested three Hispanic men
in a burgundy Pontiac. Riley said the description of those men did not
match his or his cousin's, or their car. "You have two black guys in a
dark, burgundy RX-7 that looks kind of brown," Riley said. "How could
you make a mistake like that, even with your eyes closed?" Riley said
he feared for his life at the time of his arrest. "I ended up at the
top of my subdivision, right at home, on my knees with handcuffs on,
being humiliated while my clients and my neighbors walked by," he said,
"and the only thing that ran through my mind was: 'I'm about to lose my
life right here.'" Riley said he has hired an attorney. [more]
Two early morning fights near a club send a trooper and
a teenager to the hospital. Beer bottles and bricks were thrown,
damaging several police cars. Citizens are saying the early morning
brawl was sparked by racial tension, but law enforcement say that's not
the case. Ashburn Police and state troopers were called out
to several fights on West Madison Avenue, near the New
Traffic Light Bar. But when blue lights appeared, the fight took a
turn, sending one trooper to the hospital. Burgess said, "I heard he
got hit in the eye, or whatever, he deserved whatever he got tonight,
true enough."
Club owner Burgess says the injured trooper encouraged the brawl. "The
other cop tripped my nephew, busted his face all up and the
state patrolman hit him in the head with a flashlight and that's when
everybody got out of control." People started collecting bricks and
throwing them at law enforcement, busting police car
windshields. "Black people didn't like the way they've done us and they
unleashed," Burgess said. [more]
Last week, Charles Michael Griffin missed a flight
back to Iraq while on leave visiting family and friends in Milwaukee.
The reason is that he spent the night in Milwaukee County Jail,
battered and bruised after being arrested by Milwaukee police after a
disturbance near his old neighborhood on the north side. Griffin said
he was out with friends Monday evening about 9 p.m. when four
plain-clothed detectives showed up. He said he tried to leave but was
attacked by the officers, thrown to the ground and handcuffed before he
knew what was happening. Griffin admitted he had been drinking with his
friends; it was a final farewell before leaving the next day to return
to his unit. But he denied doing anything to interfere with the
officers. "All I said was, 'Looks like it's time for me to leave,' "
Griffin said. "Then they just threw me to the ground." After being
arrested, he was taken by police to a hospital for treatment, then
transferred downtown to jail. [more]
Trial is scheduled to start Monday in a federal
lawsuit against the city of St. Joseph and five city police officers
claiming the officers used racial profiling in arresting three black
teen-agers in 2000. The suit was filed in 2002 on behalf of the three
teens - Devin Mitchell, Cody Mitchell and Preston Culpepper. The trial
is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard
Enslen in Kalamazoo. The suit alleges that the city has developed and
maintained policies encouraging racial profiling and has not taken
proper steps to stop the practice, or adequate steps to investigate
complaints of police misconduct. The complaint claims the three
teen-agers were targeted as "the group" because they were among the few
black teens living in the city. [more]
