Saturday, August 6, 2011

Kelly Thomas dead: 6 California police officers suspended amid allegations of beating homeless man

BY Aliyah Shahid
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Six police officers in California were placed on leave Wednesday after surveillance video surfaced showing witnesses describe how cops fatally beat a mentally ill homeless man.

Kelly Thomas, 37, died July 10, five days after a confrontation with Fullerton police investigating reports of an attempted car burglary.

Surveillance video taken on an Orange County Transportation Authority bus showed passengers describing the alleged assault.

"They beat him up, and then all the cops came and they hogtied him, and he was like, 'Please God, Please Dad!'" said one witness.

Another video, taken by a bystander on his cell phone, shows the altercation from a distance. A man's voice is heard over a clicking noise that witnesses said was from a stun gun.

Thomas had schizophrenia and was not taking his medication, according to his father, Ron Thomas. He suffered severe head and neck injuries and was eventually taken off life support...(continued)

h/t Free Republic

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