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Paris police investigated in Hubcapgate
A French judge was Friday investigating claims that four police officers beat a suspect, pulled off his pants, and photographed him with a hubcap stuck between his buttocks after a car chase.So thatâs where Rodney King went. The four were Thursday put under criminal investigation and suspended of their functions pending the outcome of the probe, which is one step short of charges being laid. Unfortunate use of the word "probe". Three of the officers were accused of excessive violence towards the suspect, a 27-year-old man who drove his car into three policemen, injuring them, when they tried to pull him over during a vehicle check on February 19. Cops donât like that. The third, the head of a Paris police station, was accused of doing nothing to stop his underlings. Underlings normally donât take action without direction from their overlord, itâs in the job description. According to sources close the investigation, a preliminary two-day inquiry by a police internal affairs division concluded that at least a dozen officers had watched the suspect be beaten by the three officers after they managed to force his car off the road. "Oh, good one, Jean-Paul. Give him another!" The suspectâs claims that his pants were pulled down to his ankles and a hubcap forced between his buttocks while he was lying handcuffed on the ground was backed up by witness testimony, despite denials by the three officers, the inquiry found. "Les mensonges, tous se trouve ! Nous nâavons jamais étendu une main sur lui." A cassette of the police video that is usually taken during such arrests was said to have been ordered destroyed by senior officers, along with image files on the camera-equipped mobile phones that some of the officers used. Gee, what a surprise. Posted by: Steve 2004-02-27 |
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