A POLICE OFFICIAL IN OKLAHOMA HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH
CRIMINAL ASSAULT AFTER VIDEO SURVEILLANCE FOUND HIM
BEATING A SUSPECT WITH THE BUTT OF HIS GUN.
THE VIDEO WE ARE ABOUT TO SHOW YOU IS DIFFICULT TO WATCH,
BUT APPARENTLY THEY WERE GOING AFTER A SUSPECT IN A
HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT.
THEY FINALLY GOT THE SUSPECT TO STOP, THEY TRIED TO GET HIM
OUT OF THE CAR.
ONE POLICE OFFICIAL TOOK THE GUN AND USED IT TO BREAK THE
WINDOW OPEN AND DRAG HIM OUT.
WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS WHAT FOLLOWED THAT SITUATION.
TAKE A LOOK.
SO, THEY USED THE BARREL OF THE GUN IN THE ORDER TO CRACK THE
WINDOW OPEN.
THANKFULLY THE GUN DID NOT GO OFF, BUT AS SOON
AS THEY HAD ALREADY APPREHENDED THE GUY, THEY HAD RESTRAINED THE
GUY, HE WAS ALREADY ON THE FLOOR, THAT COP THAT YOU SAW IN
THE VIDEO USED THE BUTT OF THE
GUN TO HIT HIM IN THE HEAD.
OWASSO POLICE LIEUTENANT MICHAEL
D. DENTON, FORTY-NINE, HAS BEEN SUSPENDED AND FACES ASSAULT
AND BATTERY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON AND RECKLESS CONDUCT WITH A
FIREARM FOLLOWING A HIGH-SPEED CAR CHASE ON JUNE 14.
ACCORDING
TO PROSECUTORS, DENTON DEMONSTRATED A CONSCIOUS
DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
AND CREATED A SITUATION OF UNREASONABLE RISK FOR HIS FELLOW
OFFICERS AND MATHEWS BY USING THE SHOTGUN.
I LIKE THAT THE PROSECUTORS ARE GOING AFTER HIM, BUT LOOK
AT THE FRAMING.
THE FRAMING IS ALL ABOUT THE POLICE OFFICIALS.
I GUESS THEY REALIZE THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE
SUSPECT, AND I GET THAT HE PUT THEM IN DANGER, BUT IT IS
ALL ABOUT THE POLICE OFFICERS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WORSE, WHEN HE JAMS THE BARREL OF THE
GUN AND HITS THE GUY THROUGH THE WINDOW, BECAUSE IF ANYTHING GOES
WRONG HE BLOWS THE GUYS HEAD OFF.
OR, AFTER THEY HAD
ALREADY APPREHENDED HIM, HE STARTS HITTING HIM WITH THE BUTT
OF THE SHOTGUN.
THEY ARE BOTH TERRIBLE FOR TWO DIFFERENT
REASONS.
RIGHT THERE, THE GUY COULD HAVE BEEN EASILY KILLED,
SO I GUESS I AM WORRIED ABOUT THAT.
BUT NOW, ON THE OTHER
HAND, THE GUY IS ALREADY APPREHENDED SO THIS IS TOTALLY
GRATUITOUS.
HE IS LIKE, LET ME
TAKE A COUPLE OF SHOTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE PROSECUTORS ARE MAD ABOUT
IS THAT HE ACCIDENTALLY HIT ONE OF THE OTHER COPS.
THAT IS WHY YOU GET THAT LANGUAGE ABOUT, YOU PUT THE
OTHER OFFICER IN DANGER.
THE CRIMINAL, THE GUY WE APPREHENDED, WHO CARES
ABOUT HIM?
YEAH, I GUESS SO.
BUT HE GRAZED ONE OF THE OFFICERS, THAT'S A SERIOUS CRIME.
PROSECUTORS ARE USUALLY VERY PROTECTIVE OF POLICE OFFICIALS,
WHICH IS WHY I THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE THAT THEY WERE GOING
AFTER THIS GUY AGGRESSIVELY.
YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW THAT THIS
GUY HAS A HISTORY WITH USING POLICE BRUTALITY.
IN 2011 HE
WAS FIRED AFTER A VIDEO SHOWED HIM MOCKING A HANDCUFFED SUSPECT
BEFORE HITTING HIM IN THE HEAD REPEATEDLY WITH HIS ELBOW.
HE
WAS FIRED AFTER THAT, APPEALED THE DECISION, AND
WAS REINSTATED AND PAID BACK PAY FOR WHAT HE WAS NOT PAID
WHILE HE WAS FIRED.
THIS IS AMAZING.
IT'S NOT LIKE THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THIS GUY IS
TROUBLE, THEY FIRED HIM OVER ELBOWING SOMEBODY.
THIS IS NOT
AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.
THEN THEY HAD TO GIVE HIM $366,000 AFTER
THEY REINSTATED HIM.
THEN THEY PUT HIM BACK OUT ON THE STREET.
I ACTUALLY FEEL FOR HIS SUPERIOR OFFICERS IN THIS CASE, THEY
TRIED.
IN THIS CASE, THE GUYS DID ALL THEY COULD TO GET HIM
OFF THE STREETS, BUT A JUDGE PUT HIM ON THE STREET AND GAVE HIM
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
ON TOP.
THE SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED THAT THE GUY DID IT
AGAIN.
IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY THE COPS ARE SO UPSET ABOUT THE
SITUATION, IT IS BECAUSE OTHER COPS WERE PUT IN DANGER.
BUT, AGAIN, COPS HAD FIRED HIM WHEN HE HAD ONLY HURT A SUSPECT.
YOU CANNOT BLAME HIS SUPERIOR OFFICERS HERE, THIS GUY IS
OUT OF CONTROL.