Prosecutors say the beating began after two officers responded to reports that a homeless person was looking in cars and rattling door handles in the transit hub where numerous buses come and go and commuters park their cars.
The officers stopped Thomas, who suffered from schizophrenia and had trouble complying, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say Ramos punched Thomas in the ribs, tackled him and lay on him to pin him down. They say Cicinelli, who arrived on the scene later, used a Taser four times on Thomas as he screamed in pain and also hit him in the face eight times with the Taser.
Thomas lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital. He was taken off life support and died five days later.
The coroner concluded that Thomas died from mechanical compression of the thorax, which made it impossible for him to breathe normally and deprived his brain of oxygen. Other face and head injuries contributed to his death, prosecutors said.
Six Fullerton police officers responded to the incident. All were placed on paid administrative leave and are facing an internal investigation, but only Ramos and Cicinelli were criminally charged.
Ramos, a 10-year-veteran of the Fullerton Police Department, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Cicinelli, who has worked in Fullerton since 1999, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force. Both have pleaded not guilty.....snip~
http://news.yahoo.com/testimony-cont...070804862.html
Homeless guy with a backpack. Someone called the cops said they saw someone looking into cars and heard doors being rattled. At a Transportation hub. These cops beat the living $#@! of this guy ultimately killing him. Plus the guy was a schizofrenic. 6 cops and they just let these two go to town on this guy.
They even have it on recording the guy was calling for his father. Seems he was not coherent as to what they were coming after him for. They don't say how old the guy was. If I am this guy's family member. I would want some Cop Azz.
Lets hope these POS don't get to walk away. Althought they state the video footage is not clear as to which officer did what. So the piece says. Course the paramedics might be their downfall.