Prometheus 6

District Attorney Brandon Falls said...the prosecutor wanted to play the video for the jury but, for technical reasons, she needed another copy and asked for the original.

"We got the original the week before the trial ... and that's where she saw the rest of the tape," he said.

5 Ala. officers fired for beating caught on tape
The Associated Press
Thursday, May 21, 2009 2:25 AM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Five Birmingham police officers were fired Wednesday for beating an unconscious suspect ejected from a car after a chase, an attack captured on a patrol car videotape that didn't surface publicly for a year. Police Chief A.C. Roper said the officers, who were not identified, were seasoned veterans but acted in a "shameful" manner.

The video shows police pursuing Anthony Warren's van on Jan. 23, 2008. One officer on foot was hurt when the van swerved through traffic. It overturned on a ramp, ejecting Warren, who lay motionless as officers ran toward him. The video shows them beating him with their fists, feet and a billy club.

An attorney representing Warren in a civil case said he was hospitalized after the chase and didn't realize he'd been beaten until a prosecutor preparing for his trial requested the tape, saw the attack and told the defense about it.

Roper said the department had "terminated 50 years of combined service due to 10 seconds of injustice." [P6: You're god damn right...]

The officers can appeal.

Wendy Crew, an attorney for Warren, filed a claim against the city in March, the first step before filing a lawsuit seeking damages. She said Wednesday the claim was over the "horrific" beating and an attempt to suppress the video of it.

Authorities believe numerous Birmingham officers and as many as a half-dozen supervisors saw the video over the past year, but none reported it.

"In addition to these terminations, we're also reviewing our supervisor's actions, reporting mechanisms and policies," Roper said.