police brutality - "that was me being gentle"

[riddler 0]

Story here, and at the bottom. Video link here.

Long story made short - a person of mexican descent was driving in Connecticut, the police suspected him of a road rage incident, rammed his car, then suspected him of having a gun, and beat the crap out of him. One police officer fired, the other two go free, the victim gets $100K settlement. Victim didn't have a gun and was never charged in the suspected road rage incident.

My question is, if you are this driver, what do you do? Are you justified in fighting back, or will you just end up in jail for that? If you do have a gun, are you entitled to defend yourself? It seems like the only thing to do is to take your beating. Is that the way it works with the police? If they decide to beat you, your best action is to be passive and take the beating?

Full story below:

Quote

HARTFORD, Conn. – A video released this week by a central Connecticut police department shows a former officer pummeling an unresisting suspect with his fists in an expletive-laced beating that ends with the lawman shouting, "That was me being gentle!" The officer, Brian Lawlor, was fired three months after the 2005 incident. He pleaded guilty March 12 to a third-degree assault and was given a one-year suspended sentence.

The nearly five-minute video was recorded from Lawlor's squad car and was released Wednesday under a Freedom of Information request, according to Sgt. Lenny Caponigro, the department's spokesman.

It begins with a Lawlor in pursuit of a suspect in a road rage incident, identified later as Alexis Hernandez of Meriden.

Lawlor was joined by a second officer and the chase ended in a public housing project after Hernandez's car was rammed from behind by Lawlor's cruiser.

The video shows Hernandez being hit as he sat in the driver's seat, and the beating continued as he was pulled from his car. Three officers are seen attacking Hernandez, who appears handcuffed in the footage, beating him with a gun, their fists and repeatedly kneeing him.

No charges were ever filed against the other two officers.

Neither Hernandez nor Police Chief Jeffry Cossette immediately returned telephone calls Thursday.

Cossette told the Record-Journal that Lawlor's actions on the video were unacceptable. Lawlor was fired in December 2005.

"The efforts were not to get the suspect into custody, they were to punish the suspect," Cossette said.

Two months after the incident, Hernandez filed a letter of intent to sue the city, but a settlement was reached for $100,000.

Attorney Norman Pattis, who represented Lawlor, said Thursday that the video supports Lawlor's contention that he thought Hernandez was reaching for a gun.

"In the heat of a high-speed pursuit, the man appeared to be reaching for a gun. Should Lawlor have shot him?" Pattis said.

The lawyer declined to say what Lawlor had been doing since he was fired.

Cossette said he was satisfied with the plea agreement Lawlor got because the conviction will make him unable to be a police officer anywhere in Connecticut.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[downwardspiral 0]

There is no good answer. Not resisting can get you shot in the back as was demonstrated in a San Fran subway.

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[headoverheels 334]

$100k is not really enough to "get their attention", and a suspended sentence is a farce.

[lawrocket 3]

He didn't resist. For those who say "fight back" I refer you to the scene in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka wherein the gentleman decided to go chop sockee on 30 cops, who unloaded on him.

$100k is a pretty decent number, seeing as how governments cannot be hit with punitive damages.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

He pleaded guilty March 12 to a third-degree assault and was given a one-year suspended sentence.

...
No charges were ever filed against the other two officers.

These parts stand out, past your question about the impossible idea of what to do if you're in that situation.