Spring Break
Video shows Calif. police beating of student
Issue date: 10/26/09 Section: News
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A cell phone video that shows police officers repeatedly hitting an unarmed university student with batons and a Taser gun has prompted a criminal investigation into the officers' conduct, a San Jose police spokesman said.
The video, posted by the San Jose Mercury News on its Web site late Saturday, shows one officer hitting 20-year-old Vietnamese student Phuong Ho with a metal baton more than 10 times, including once on the head. Another officer is seen using his Taser gun on the San Jose State math major.
The final baton strike in last month's incident appears to take place after handcuffs have been attached to Ho's wrists.
"It takes me back to the day I saw the Rodney King video on TV," said Roger Clark, a police expert and a retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
The last baton strike ought to bring a felony charge, Clark said.
Officers arrested Ho on suspicion of assaulting one of his roommates. He was not armed when police arrived and he told the newspaper he didn't resist arrest.
The confrontation began Sept. 3 when Ho's roommate, Jeremy Suftin, put soap on Ho's steak. The two scuffled, and Ho picked up a steak knife, saying that in his home country he would have killed Suftin for doing what he did.
Police were called, and four officers responded.
Officer Kenneth Siegel encountered Ho in the hallway, but couldn't understand the student's accent, police reports said. Ho then ignored a police command to stand still, reports said.
When Ho tried to follow Siegel into his room, officer Steven Payne Jr. moved to handcuff Ho. Payne wrote in his report that he pushed the student into a wall and then forced him to the floor when he resisted being handcuffed.
Ho, who weighs more than 200 lbs., said his glasses fell off. As he went to pick them up, the officers struck him, he said.
Another one of Ho's roommates, Dimitri Masouris, captured the events on his cell phone. An officer can be heard on the video shouting, "Turn over!" Ho can be heard moaning and crying as he's struck.
The video, posted by the San Jose Mercury News on its Web site late Saturday, shows one officer hitting 20-year-old Vietnamese student Phuong Ho with a metal baton more than 10 times, including once on the head. Another officer is seen using his Taser gun on the San Jose State math major.
The final baton strike in last month's incident appears to take place after handcuffs have been attached to Ho's wrists.
"It takes me back to the day I saw the Rodney King video on TV," said Roger Clark, a police expert and a retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
The last baton strike ought to bring a felony charge, Clark said.
Officers arrested Ho on suspicion of assaulting one of his roommates. He was not armed when police arrived and he told the newspaper he didn't resist arrest.
The confrontation began Sept. 3 when Ho's roommate, Jeremy Suftin, put soap on Ho's steak. The two scuffled, and Ho picked up a steak knife, saying that in his home country he would have killed Suftin for doing what he did.
Police were called, and four officers responded.
Officer Kenneth Siegel encountered Ho in the hallway, but couldn't understand the student's accent, police reports said. Ho then ignored a police command to stand still, reports said.
When Ho tried to follow Siegel into his room, officer Steven Payne Jr. moved to handcuff Ho. Payne wrote in his report that he pushed the student into a wall and then forced him to the floor when he resisted being handcuffed.
Ho, who weighs more than 200 lbs., said his glasses fell off. As he went to pick them up, the officers struck him, he said.
Another one of Ho's roommates, Dimitri Masouris, captured the events on his cell phone. An officer can be heard on the video shouting, "Turn over!" Ho can be heard moaning and crying as he's struck.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
drowningboy
posted 10/26/09 @ 7:11 AM PST
safest city, my...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU_SlEnLBW4
drowningboy
posted 10/26/09 @ 7:16 AM PST
safest city, my...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU_SlEnLBW4
Greg
posted 10/26/09 @ 10:13 AM PST
There's no such thing as excessive force, especially when deadly weapons are involved. I hope this story serves as an example to other idiots who want to threaten people with knives. (Continued…)
ho ho
posted 10/26/09 @ 3:09 PM PST
Damn!! I never thought i'd see a ho get beaten that badly since a pimp didn't his money...
Greg
posted 10/27/09 @ 10:18 AM PST
Stasiu,
I don't care if he was armed or unarmed, whenever you pull a knife on someone in anger, you don't deserve to be treated with respect. My kid wouldn't go around threatening to kill people, so I'm not too worried about it. (Continued…)
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