15 year old Jay Huber went to downtown Tampa(FL) to celebrate his birthday. We got permission to skate this spot from the security guard and the police still showed up. The officer that threw him wouldn't give me his name or badge number. Jay ended up being charged with resisting arrest, and sprained his ankle from the take down. Officer E.Turner is the one who took him down. Winkowski was the officer associated with it.

A federal judge accused a San Francisco police officer of perjury after video evidence directly contradicted his testimony, and then dismissed the case.

Federal prosecutors had no idea that lawyers for Brandon Simpson, the suspect arrested with a loaded gun, had a security video; video that would result in the case being dismissed.

Officer Nicholas Buckley had signed a sworn declaration detailing the arrest last December in the Tenderloin. He was testifying Thursday in federal court before Judge Charles Bryer.

He repeated what he said in his declaration that he and his partner had just broken up a dice game on Eddy and Taylor streets and that he engaged Simpson who looked suspiciously at him, "ignored his commands acted aggressively," and tried to "sprint away up the hill."

Buckley and other officers took him down and arrested him. That's when they found a gun.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi has a different account.

"They went into court and just told boldfaced lies to the judge and to the U.S. attorney," he said.

After Buckley testified, Simpson's lawyer showed the court a security video from an apartment building near the intersection.

It shows the officer and his partner arriving first and breaking up the dice game.

Video shows them interacting with Simpson and there's no evidence he acted aggressively, nor did he try to escape by sprinting up a hill.

Then you see them grab him quickly and take him down before other cops arrived to help as they struggled with Simpson on the ground.

"They went up to this man and basically grabbed him for no reason," said Adachi.

After viewing the video, prosecutors asked Bryer to drop the charges.

The judge said the officer "perjured" himself and that it was "an affront to all of us" and that he was "deeply saddened."

In an unusual nive, Bryer ordered prosecutors to give copies of the video to Chief Greg Suhr.

Simpson was released late Thursday, all because of the video.

The question now is will the officer and his partner, who also wrote a sworn declaration with the same scenario, be charged with perjury under oath. The San Francisco Police Department told ABC7 News that they've launched an investigation.

In what has become too rare a move, a former St. Louis police officer has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith — which happened nearly five years ago. Ex-Officer Jason Stockley was arrested by St. Louis police and U.S. marshals at his home in Houston Monday, and is being held without bail in Harris County, Texas, by order from Circuit Judge Michael Mullen.

Smith’s murder led to “one of the largest wrongful-death settlements stemming from a police shooting in the city’s history,” reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

...

On December 20, 2011, Stockley and his partner Brian Bianchi observed what they believed to be a drug transaction, and then approached Smith’s vehicle — Stockley, against department policy, carried his personal AK-47 toward the car. Claiming they saw Smith reach for something, Stockley fired his department-issued Beretta as Smith drove his vehicle toward the officers, but the shot did not injure anyone.

Smith drove off and the officers initiated a pursuit with Bianchi behind the wheel — which reached speeds of over 80 mph. At one point, the cruiser hit a utility pole, and Bianchi backed up and maintained pursuit.

During the chase, Stockley, according to court documents filed on Monday, said, “Going to kill this ************, don’t you know it.” As Smith’s vehicle slowed, Stockley demanded Bianchi “hit him right now,” at which point Bianchi slammed the police SUV into Smith’s car. Then, as a press release [with emphasis added] from the Circuit Attorney explains:

“Stockley then approached Smith’s car on the driver’s side and shot five times into the car, striking the victim Anthony Smith with each shot. The victim died as a result of the gunshot wounds. A gun was recovered from the victim’s car but was later determined by lab analysis to have only Stockley’s DNA on it.”

...

Stockley, an Iraq war veteran who was awarded an Army Bronze Star for combat duty, resigned from the St. Louis Police Department on August 16, 2013, while under suspension for Smith’s shooting death.

Activists publicly demanded Stockley, who is white, be charged with the murder of Smith, who is black. Both the activists and the Post-Dispatch filed for documents, video, and audio surrounding the shooting to be released under Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

On Thursday, the Post-Dispatch says it requested the lifting of a protective order which has sealed investigative materials since 2012 — to which the police board, now represented by the city after a change in law, said it would not protest.

Joyce’s office received material concerning Smith’s shooting after U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan’s office refused to prosecute Stockley, though Callahan said he forwarded the case to the Department of Justice’ Civil Rights Division and has not received a response.

“The matter remains open, and the department declines to comment further,” said Dena Iverson, DoJ spokeswoman, on Monday.

Joyce had not seen video of the shooting until three weeks ago — and had also been unaware only Stockley’s DNA was found on the gun in Smith’s car. She cautioned,

“The conviction rate on these cases nationally is 10 percent, and very rarely are they charged because of how laws are set up, and it’s rare to get a guilty verdict.”

As the matter remains open to discovery pursuant to trial, and because the shooting took place in a public setting, in part in front of a popular restaurant, Joyce also requested help from the community-at-large, saying, “We believe that others may have more information. We encourage anyone with information to come forward.”

With what has often been described as a national epidemic of police violence, charging Stockley with first-degree murder and his being held without bail are certainly welcome. Whether or not Stockley will be held responsible for the whole of his crime remains to be seen.

The Florida Highway Patrol released a jarring video on Wednesday showing an Ocoee police officer speeding through a red light without stopping or slowing down before slamming into a vehicle at 90 miles an hour.

Sparks fly as the vehicles spin out of control before the police cruiser crashes into a fire hydrant.

Officer Chris Bonner, 29, was found at fault and received a ticket for "failing to obey traffic laws" when he ran the red light, FHP said.

He suffered "multiple broken bones" and remains at the hospital, according to Ocoee police.

A Pennsylvania cop who ripped a phone out of a woman’s hand because she was recording, then slammed it on a sidewalk before punching the woman was arrested Wednesday.

All because another camera recorded Reading police officer Jesus Santiago-DeJesus criminal actions.

Otherwise, he would still be free while the woman, Marcelina Cintron-Garcia, and her boyfriend would still be facing charges.

In fact, Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said they reviewed a total of five videos before deciding to charge Santiago-DeJesus for the April 5 incident.

But the cop’s lawyer said his client was only trying to protect himself from a phone that could have been a weapon.

Attorney Allan Sodomsky also accused Adams of withholding evidence that would vindicate his client, mainly footage of the woman attacking the officer.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m. that day, Santiago-DeJesus stopped a car for an alleged traffic violation in the 800 block of Greenwich Street, according to Adams, who detailed the events that followed: Santiago-DeJesus detained the driver, Marcelina Cintron-Garcia, and the passenger, Joel Rodriguez, outside the car, and both of the vehicle's occupants proceeded to record video of the officer with their cell phones.

...

Moments later, two other officers arrived, and Cintron-Garcia continued to record video as she sat on the steps. Santiago-DeJesus then ordered the driver to hand over her phone, and she refused.

Rodriguez, the passenger, then shifted his body toward the officer and Cintron-Garcia, preventing the officer from obtaining the driver's phone.

Santiago-DeJesus then directed the backup officers to "get him out of here," referring to Rodriguez.

The backup officers then pulled Rodriguez off the steps and onto the sidewalk, where they handcuffed him.

Sanatiago-DeJesus then "forcibly wrestled" the phone from Cintron-Garcia's hand and slammed it to the sidewalk, damaging the phone "in an attempt to destroy potential evidence."

Cintron-Garcia was subsequently arrested and transported to Reading Hospital for treatment of injuries she suffered during the arrest.

She told 69 News on Wednesday that she hit her head on a pipe.

Based on the investigation, which included interviews and a review of surveillance video, detectives with the DA's office said they determined that:

• Santiago-DeJesus falsely implicated Cintron-Garcia for not using a proper right turn signal when pulling into a parking space on Greenwich Street, when surveillance video indicated that she had.
  
• Santiago-DeJesus attempted to damage and destroy potential audio and video evidence by slamming Contron-Garcia's cell phone on the sidewalk.
  
• Santiago-DeJesus's actions, which included the arrest, detention, seizure, mistreatment and infringement/damage to personal property, are in violation of official oppression.

A Daytona Beach police lieutenant is being investigated after he admitted in files that he made a poor choice by arresting a mechanic who was working on his vehicle.

The files showed that Lt. James Brodick said he was frustrated with a man with whom he did business, so he had him arrested on felony charges, despite being told it was a civil case.

Channel 9 broke the news in April of the arrest of Dennis King, a local mechanic who was working on Brodick’s1939 Ford. Reports showed Brodick arrested King and accused him of taking his money for work that was not getting done on the car.

King told Channel 9 the restoration took longer than expected.

The department’s internal affairs investigation determined Brodick should have let an impartial employee handle the investigation and he let his emotions cloud his judgment.

The charges against King were dropped.

Channel 9’s investigation found internal memos revealing that Brodick told his officers that he “ran it up the chain of command.”

Chief Mike Chitwood said he didn’t know of King’s arrest until after it happened.

Brodick said he takes full responsibility for his actions and feels bad about putting other officers in a bad position. Chitwood said he will be suspended for 10 days.

Brodick’s personnel file showed that he has been disciplined a handful of times for minor offenses like traffic accidents. He’s also been commended and received medals for his accomplishments.

Joshua Taylor listed his old MacBook on Craigslist for extra cash. But after meeting a potential buyer at a coffee shop, the 25-year-old was detained by officers—two dressed in tactical gear and a third in plainclothes—from the Atlanta Police Department. Taylor would soon learn he was the target of a mysterious, and botched, sting operation.

...

I’ve posted things on Craigslist before and hadn’t had any issues. This was probably my fifth or sixth time. I’ve listed iPods or old gaming systems and never had any issues. This is the most expensive item I’ve ever sold. The ad said “$1,000 or best offer.” It was very basic, with two pictures, and I said you’d need an install disk to use the laptop. I got three initial responses. The first person who answered offered $900. But when I provided the computer’s serial number, the buyer found out it didn’t meet their specifications.

After that fell through, I got an email from a “Derek Charleston.” He offered $950. We began talking about meeting up, and the entire process never seemed suspicious at all. But he was dead set on meeting Thursday of last week and said it was for work reasons. I guess it was how “they” were setting things up. They needed that time. I was available Sunday, Monday, every day. I kept asking him, “Are you available today? Are you around?” Then I wouldn’t get a response until eight or nine hours later. He would just keep reiterating that he was available Thursday.

We met at a Caribou Coffee at 2 p.m. He was in his early to mid-thirties, with long brown hair past his shoulders. He kind of looked like Chris Ferguson, the poker player, a Cowboy-looking guy. He had light facial hair and sunglasses on. He was just sitting on the patio outside there and didn’t have coffee. It was me, him, and probably six to seven other groups of people. When I sat down, Derek said he worked with computers but didn’t mention any specifics. Nothing seemed weird at all.

...

We’re just sitting there, and suddenly I’m approached from behind by an officer, or I think it’s an officer. He immediately orders, “Put your hands behind your back! Put your hands behind your back!” and he has something pressed into my back. I look over my shoulder and can see a big yellow Taser.

I first put my hands above my head, then had to lower them so he could handcuff me. Everyone at Caribou was staring at me. Time ceased for a few seconds. Then a woman approached on my left side. Both of them are dressed in tactical gear, with button-up shirts and khaki pants underneath. The woman asks Derek, “Is this the one?” “Yeah, I don’t know. Hold on just a second,” Derek says.

The female cop started asking me questions: “Where did you purchase it? What are you doing with this computer?” She was trying to get background information. I said I bought it in 2012 for architecture school. That this is my property. I broke down what I’d been using it for.

I was detained by Taser-point and handcuffed the entire time, while Derek was still accessing the computer. Derek tells the woman the C-number is off. Not the serial number—they were looking for some other number in the computer.

After Derek said it wasn’t the right number, the officer with the Taser told me to stand up and removed my handcuffs. The female officer only said, “Sorry. These things happen.” I started breaking down. I knew it could happen, but I also knew how wrong this was. I immediately felt so powerless and I wanted to get out of there. I asked no questions.

...

They wasted man-hours and three to four cops, all because I tried to sell my own computer. I didn’t even know what officers detained me. For all I knew, it could have been the Secret Service. If someone steals your iPhone, you don’t get to walk down the street and point at everyone with an iPhone. I don’t understand how police got involved to run a sting operation in the first place. The effort level doesn’t make sense. It seems like they were looking for something more or something else.

All the unknowns just don’t feel good. Unfortunately, you’ve got a lot of police misconduct, but I never thought it would be on this level. You hear about disagreements between people and single officers, but you never hear about a full setup operation. It’s completely against everything they ever teach you about what this country stands for. You’re innocent until proven guilty. I was guilty until proven innocent.