There's speculation the perp's last name is "McCoy"
Bratton IDs Officers in Beating
The eight at the scene are placed on desk duty. Chief says three are being investigated for excessive use of force.
By Andrew Blankstein, Megan Garvey and Richard Winton
Times Staff Writers
June 25, 2004
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton on Thursday identified the eight officers involved in the controversial capture of a suspected car thief — including the LAPD officer videotaped by TV news cameras repeatedly striking the African American suspect after he appeared to surrender.
The officer seen striking the man 11 times with a flashlight was identified as John Hatfield, 35, a seven-year veteran of the department.
"I got nothing to say to you guys," Hatfield said Thursday afternoon, answering the door to his apartment in a converted Victorian house in Redondo Beach. He was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and a backward baseball cap.
"You guys are going to have to talk to my attorney," he said. "You're going to have to talk to the [Los Angeles Police Protective] League."
Hank Hernandez, the league's general counsel, said Thursday that the distance from which the video was taken made it difficult to fully understand the circumstances of the arrest.
"What concerns the league, and we have seen it time and time again, is that influential people in the community and the media will express opinions based on their review of a videotape that is not based on the entire facts of the incident," Hernandez said.
