Kicking surrendered suspects in the head is inexcusable

May 17, 11:48 AMGun Rights ExaminerDavid Codrea

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(AP Photo/El Monte Police Department)

Wholesome-looking young man on the right, isn't he?

Meet Richard Rodriguez, the sole person responsible for his appearance (well, disregarding the bruises). He's a reported parolee and gang member. And he's been caught on video leading police on a wild high-speed chase where he willfully endangered the lives of many citizens. For that alone I'm glad he's "off the streets."

But the way he was arrested was an outrage:

Police in El Monte, Calif., are conducting an internal investigation after TV cameras caught an officer apparently kick a suspect in the head following a high-speed car chase Wednesday afternoon.

There's no "apparently" about it. It was a forceful kick. You can see the cop's foot draw back as Rodriguez lies face down on the ground, arms and legs outstretched. You can see Rodriguez's head snap to the side at the impact. And you can see another cop kneel down and start pummeling him in the back with a flashlight.

You can get a closer view of the rib workover here.

And now we have an assertion and defense from the place-kicking cop's union lawyer that defies belief:

The kick to the head delivered by an El Monte police officer to a car-chase suspect lying on the ground at the end of a televised high-speed pursuit was a legally justified “distraction blow," an attorney for the police union said today.

It's true that distraction techniques are taught to police. From the National Institute of Justice's "Citizen Review of Police Approaches & Implementation":

Botsko and the advisers also noticed that a number of incident reports referred to officers' use of a "distraction blow" without explaining its purpose. After inquiring about the behavior, Botsko learned that the police bureau training department taught the distraction principle (e.g., pushing the driver's head while prying his or her hands off the steering wheel)-but not a blow-as a means of diverting someone's attention. Indeed, the bureau considers a blow to be a use of force that requires explanation in the incident report. It turned out that some officers had learned the distraction blow technique at the State training academy. As a result, the bureau agreed to explain during inservice training that officers always have to explain in their reports why they struck someone and refrain from using incorrect terminology.

I'd like to see the training document that says kicking an unresisting man in the head is taught as an acceptable distraction. I'd like to see the use-of-force training documents that say the "provocation" here made it an acceptable technique. I'd also like to know why anyone whose ostensible purpose is to serve and protect the public would need "training" to know what is right and wrong.

And there's an interesting twist to this story. It seems the officer who kicked the suspect profits off the gang culture:

The police officer who sources inside City Hall say kicked a gang member in the head after a long car chase Wednesday also owns a clothing company that glorifies gang and prison life...

[George] Fierro is listed as the owner of Torcido Clothing of El Monte, according to records at El Monte City Hall. "Torcido" is slang for being imprisoned.

Their promise?

Torcido Clothing™ features some of the hardest authentic jail house threads for the streets. Straight from East L.A...

You can buy such quality brands as:

11550: CA Health & Safety Code; Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance Any Illegal drug, such as Cocaine, Meth, Heroin

GREEN LIGHTERS: When the EME puts a gangsters name on the "hit list" to be assaulted or killed.

MEXICAN MAFIA HAND: The original drawing listing the Mexican Mafia members who wore this tattoo logo.

Nice culture to encourage. Not much conflict of interest, is there? On so many levels.

So what's my beef? Isn't this column supposed to be about "gun rights"? Why the bleeding heart for a reputed gangster?

Several points:

A true cliché is it's not about guns, it's about freedom.

If the police can get away with doing this to Rodriguez, they can get away with doing it to you. It's not like people minding their own business are immune from a sudden violent surprise encounter.

And this seems especially true where the El Monte police are concerned.

We find political discussion increasingly turning toward making gun owners pay for the corruption and violence the cross border War on (Some) Drugs make inevitable. Here we have a suspect and a police officer, both tied into that culture in their own way.

Meanwhile, if you're a peaceable citizen in El Monte/East LA, good luck getting the police or LA County Sheriff to "permit" you to carry a gun on the streets the resulting predators prowl. That's reserved for the connected and the "Only Ones."

And good luck if you run into associates of Mr. Rodriguez, or customers of Officer Fierro.  But I believe I repeat myself.

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