Sep 15, 2006 7:13 pm US/Eastern
Tape Raises Accusations Of Police Brutality
by Derek Valcourt
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Courtesy Baltimore Examiner
Baltimore Examiner
Baltimore Police are defending themselves from accusations of police brutality. The controversy centers on the August 26th arrest of a man in what police call a drug infested area of Pennsylavania Avenue.
The arrest was captured on amateur video and shows a handcuffed man, 53 year old Glen Curry, being shoved to the ground and then pulled along the pavement by a Baltimore police officer. The video was obtained by WJZ's partner the Baltimore Examiner.
Curry was arrested and charged with possession of heroin, trespassing and resisting arrest. But Curry says even after he was cuffed, an officer assaulted him. "He punched me in my jaw twice," said. "I think it was so rapid and so vicious that i was kind of shocked."
"This is a criminal assault case against this police officer," said Templeton. "He punched my client. He threw him to the ground. after he threw him to the ground he grabbed his leg and pulled him.
Curry's defense attorney Granville Templeton questions the police statement of probable cause in which the officer swears under penalty that Curry "was quickly placed in cuffs without further incident."
"That's the operative phrase in the statement of probable cause," said Templeton. "It's said 'without further incident' and the tape clearly shows that something else occurred. Something did happen after he was handcuffed."
Baltimore police dispute that Curry was punched.
"This was not a case of police brutality," said police spokesman Det. Donnie Moses. "We never struck the suspect. We never stomped the suspect. We simply pushed the suspect to the ground and sat him up. Unfortunately, a lot of people will say we weren't gentle enough, but this is not a gentle job."
Moses said a police mugshot of Curry taken later that day does not show any signs of trauma to Curry's face or jaw.
He said Curry has a lengthy criminal rap sheet and that the officer found heroin in Curry's front left pocket.
"When the officer threw him to the ground, the narcotics that was in his pocket fell to the ground," said Moses. The video clearly shows the officer picking it up and then pulling him by the feet only to sit the suspect back up. at no time did the officer punch the suspect."
But Curry disagrees and he's glad the arrest was caught on camera.
"Other wise no one would believe me," said curry. "it would just be the police officer against unfortunately another black man in a drug infested neighborhood."
Curry's attorney said he plans on writing a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal criminal investigation into this case.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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