Posted by Lenny, Hialeah Fl on March 11, 2010:

From the looks of this guy, I'd guess he has already been punished. I do not like to hear about "street justice" still happening. I think the cops went a bit too far, and his face shows it.

A long time ago, when I was a deputy sheriff, my training supervisor told me to never hit anybody in the face, or anywhere that is seen in pictures. We were taught that our actions are reviewable. Well, this was how I lost that job. It wasn't me, but another cop who thought the prisoner was not listening to me, punched the hell out of him. My sin was that I did not name the officer. I just did not want to be a "snitch".

Well, you live and learn. I was between a rock and a hard place. I think whoever arrested this guy got carried away. That is what makes people not trust the actions of the police. It is a shame, but these officers must have too much testosterone. Also, once a policeman gets you, he is more inclined to work himself up if he has a partner. The more cops, the more violence.

I stay away from trouble, because here in Florida, the cops do what they want, and Internal Affairs is very unlikely to say that something was wrong.

That's my story, and I am sticking to it.

Posted by Felix, Dutch Flat on March 12, 2010:

Lenny -- did you even read this? Didn't stop after hitting another car. Didn't stop when the police found him still driving. Didn't stop when told to pull over. Didn't stop even with four flat tires. Didn't get out of the car when finally run off the road. Tried to beat up the paramedics putting him in an ambulance. Tried to beat up the cops transporting him. Tried to beat up the hospital workers trying to fix him up.

What more benefit of the doubt can you possibly give him?

Unless his wife had run off with a cop and he thought they were bringing her back. That old joke is more likely than any kind of conspiracy theory on the part of the cops.

Posted by Jim Philadelphia, PA on March 12, 2010:

I have to disagree with Lenny here, I don't think we can blame the cops for the condition of his face. I'm not saying they didn't do it, just that we don't have enough information to determine that and I believe in the "innocent until proven guilty" concept. We don't know what condition he was in before his arrest (could he have been in a bar brawl?) and we don't know what kind of resistance he put up. There are certain drugs (PCP comes to mind) that turn people into raving lunatics, completely oblivious to pain. I think we just have to trust the system here to ensure that justice is served to everyone involved.

Posted by Patricia, Dearborn Heights, MI on March 12, 2010:

I agree with Felix, Dutch Flat. I was always taught and passed on to my children that you NEVER argue with a police officer. You remain polite and follow instructions, if you don't agree with a ticket or arrest, you fight it in court, not on the streets.

This guy could have killed any one of those poor people who were unfortunate enough to have had contact with him that night. Jim Philadelphia, PA makes an excellent point regarding the extreme possibility of drugs in this guy's system which could make him seem invincible/dangerous to both himself and the police trying to keep the peace.

Thank God no one was killed and I think a good measure of that credit goes to the police who caught and subdued him. I have zero sympathy if he DID get roughed up, he could have been shot! I think the police showed remarkable restraint after ALL of Leone's actions that night!

Posted by Lenny, Hialeah Fl. on March 12, 2010:

You all have missed my point. There is street justice going on. Assault on a police officer could be a matter of just touching his hand taking back your drivers license. The police pile on charges but most of them are dropped.

When you say a person is innocent till proven guilty tells me that just agreed with me. He was already arrested, tried, and punished without going to court.

Now we all know that there were inventions like a Taser. (I know they do not always work if a person is on drugs. Usually because drugs and Taser upsets the heart rhythm and the guy dies).

Also, several other officers arrived, and I am sure they wanted their licks. Results in a cop hitting him so hard, with pepper spray AND a baton. Surely the police had numbers. If any of you know about fighting, you would know that after the first hit on you, you lose any sense of pain In the midst of this, if you are outnumbered, you either lay down and let them kick and strike you with the baton, and their hands, or you fight back.

The idea is simple. You have your choices, and every man knows that sometimes, what is being done to them tells them to die fighting. That is the story. You can not convince me that all those cops had to beat on him, no matter.

---

I think you missed everyone else's point, Lenny. There is no evidence (in the story, at least!) that the cops did that to his face; he could have done it to himself. They are choosing to wait until the facts come out. You're choosing to indict, try, and convict the officers based on the same evidence they're seeing. You may be right -- or they might be. That is the point! -rc

Posted by Bill, New York on March 13, 2010:

Lenny,

As to his injuries, he was involved in a car crash (a hit and run), he fought with the police, he fought with medical staff, and he fought with the police again. Can you tell me which incident gave him the injuries? I don't think so. You jump to the conclusion that he was a victim of the police using excessive force. How do you come up with that? The black eye, the scratches, the bloodied nose could have come from the car crash, from the fight with police, or the fight with medical staff. For all you know a sweet little nurse may have had to defend herself from this uncontrollable person and she hit him in the face in self-defense. Because you made a mistake as an officer and you were called on it. You have become bitter toward all police officers. Lenny, I question your judgment and I believe the right decision was made to remove you from law enforcement.

Posted by Lisa in Ohio on March 13, 2010:

Lenny, the facial injuries may have been caused by the hit-and-run he was involved in, or when the troopers forced his car into the ditch, or even accidentally during one of the melees he instigated with the paramedics, hospital staff, or police.

I'm not sure why you choose to assume that they were deliberately inflicted by the police officers involved. Sure, they MIGHT have been. But we don't really know for sure, do we?

Posted by Patricia, Dearborn Heights, MI on March 13, 2010:

Lenny, Hialeah Fl: They have been actively prosecuting Police Brutality cases for the last 20 years (Rodney King, Los Angeles, 91, and Malice Green, Detroit, 92 to name two). If you had thought there was even the remotest chance of your situation coming back to bite you in the behind, then YOU were wrong not to break the infamous "Code of Silence" which means that YOU condoned a CRIMINAL ACT by not "snitching" on the actual aggressive cop. Therefore, the reason for your firing and subsequent bitterness is YOU!

Cops have a tough enough job without people second guessing or blaming them for situations that they are not responsible for. You couldn't pay me enough to put my life on the line every day the way that they do. I've heard soldiers say they wouldn't take on a cop's job because you have no idea who, when or where an "enemy" is going to pop up. Another reason I wouldn't make a good cop is that I believe SOME people DO need a good butt-whoopin' for putting people's lives in danger, but, hey, that's just me!

Posted by Fred NJ on March 14, 2010:

Reading Lenny's first post, I noticed one truly serious crime. Lenny chose to not snitch on the other officer

A violent crime in his presence, and he chose to cover it up. his whole point was police brutality, and because of his inaction, one brutal policeman was allowed to continue and may still be doing so.

All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

Posted by Jim in southwest Illannoy on March 14, 2010:

This guy is solid proof that John Wayne was right. "Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid."