Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

The attorney for Christopher Ballew filed a claim for damages against Pasadena, California after a routine traffic stop escalated into a violent encounter in which the cops broke Ballew’s leg, Fox 11 reported. This legal action comes after the police department released a dashcam video that was supposed to show some sort of justification for the beating. However, civil rights groups said they see excessive force on the police video, and city officials have launched a probe.

RELATED: FBI Director: There Is No Police Shooting ‘Epidemic’

“The violent beating of Christopher Ballew by Pasadena police officers is yet another example of how law enforcement in precincts across the country over-aggressively police youth of color. The officers used unlawful and excessive force prohibited by the Constitution and state law, breaking Ballew’s leg when he posed no threat to them or anyone else,” stated Mohammad Tajsar, staff attorney with ACLU SoCal.

 

Ballew, 21, said at a press conference on Wednesday he tried his best “to comply with every command that was given” by the officers.” A bystander recorded a video of part of the arrest, which went viral on social media. The cops booked him on suspicion of assaulting an officer, but the prosecutors have decline to charge him.

After the local media got hold of the video and began asking questions, the police released its own raw video that showed the entire confrontation. It was to rebut Ballew’s claims of excessive force but failed. Civil rights groups are demanding justice from a department that has a history of using excessive force against Black men. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the city said an internal review of possible excessive force is underway.

The last time the police department was in the national spotlight was over the death of Reginald Thomas, who suffered from bipolar disorder.

SOURCE:  Fox 11

SEE ALSO:

Here’s Why The Drug Death Rate For Blacks Outpaces Other Races

Donald Trump Jr. Posts Racist Obama Cake Instagram Photo

In Memoriam: Celebrities We Lost In 2017
Daughter Of Eric Garner Leads Protest March In Staten Island
24 photos