Imagine witnessingĀ police officers commanding a K-9 dog to maul a man to death. If you are like most people, you would try to document the murder by recording the incident.
Thatās exactly what recently happened in New Jersey, after cops killed a man by mauling him with a police dog. But when by-standards started recording the incident, officers charged at them to confiscate cell phone cameras (scroll down for video).
TheĀ Vineland, New Jersey officer who demanded witness cell phones seems to have been unsuccessful in his attempts to confiscate recording devices. Currently, there are two different videos of the incident that have been uploaded to YouTube and released by local media.
PINAC notes there is an additional, āmuch grainierā videoĀ of the incident as well.
NewsĀ reportsĀ seem to have no idea what happens after the officer demanded the footage and recording devices. The videos do not explain either. One could presume that the witnesses made a run for it and got away with the footage. If this is the case, they likely fear coming forward and admitting to evading the officer.
They also might fear retaliation from the officers, since they did witness the officers carry out a murder.
What we know from local media reports is that the victim was Philip White, 32. He tried to protect his face from the dog, and roll on to his stomach. Thatās when the lying officer yellsĀ āhe tried to grab my gun.ā
The video clearly shows that never happened.
One lie followed another, as the officers began barking āstop resistingā even though the man was not resisting, he was just trying to avoid being mauled to death by the dog.
A nearby media report fromĀ NBC Philadelphia:
āThey punched him, stomped him, kicked him and then they let the dog out of the car,ā said Ricardo Garcia. āThe dog bit him on his face and around his body. Thereās no call for that. Once a man is handcuffed and unconscious, you should have stuck him in the patrol car and take him to the police station. Instead they decided to beat him right here.ā
Another witness, Luis Martinez, also insisted White wasnāt doing anything wrong and that the officers used excessive force.
āThe other cop let the dog out and they just kept punching him and the dog kept biting him at the same time,ā Martinez said. āHe was on the floor. Like, he was knocked out.ā
A dog is heard barking on a police dispatch recording of the incident.
ā118 West Grape,ā the dispatcher says in the recording. āSubjectā¦hyperventilating. Officers out.ā
An officer is also heard on the recording.āSlow all units down,ā the officer says. āSubject underā¦tried disarming meā¦tried to grab my gun.ā
Police have doubled down on the claimĀ that White wasĀ ācombative.ā They also maintain that the murdering officerĀ āserious shoulder injury.ā
If that is the case, it is unclear from the video how that happened.
PINAC notes thatĀ one commenter in one of the articles says theĀ name of the cop who tried to confiscate the footage is āOfficer Traveline.ā That poster claims that the officer has a history of filing false police reports.
(Article by M. David and Reagan Ali; image via #Op309 Media; h/t PINAC)