Mesa police video shows violent arrest, suspect files claim

MESA, AZ - A man who was reportedly Tased, kicked and punched on the ground by Mesa police officers has filed a notice of claim against the Mesa Police Department, saying the officers knowingly and intentionally breached their duties and exceeded their authority, and that he was taken into custody in a negligent manner.
A video of the chase and arrest shot by a Mesa police helicopter shows Aaron Belander raising his arms in the air. A voice from the chopper says, “He’s got his hands up, he’s got his hands up. I don’t see anything in his hands.”

“We’ve got a man who appears to have stopped running, doesn’t seem to be making any types of aggressive movements towards anyone, and he’s Tased in the back,” said Belander’s attorney, Matt Schwartzstein. “The moment he falls down, he’s kicked in the head.”

Police reports from the officers involved that night last November paint a very different picture. The officers said they were conducting the high-risk traffic stop of a violent convicted felon who did not comply with commands to show his hands. The reports say police were tipped off that Belander had a gun.

“The officers did note in their reports that he had a history of violence in his past,” said Schwartzstein. “I did not see any crimes of violence that he was convicted of as of November 6th, 2009.”

According to police reports, Belander drove away in his truck during that traffic stop, initiating a chase that ended at Highland High School, where Belander got out of the truck and started running. Police reports say Belander threw a gun on the ground during the chase.

The video shows officers catching up to Belander, who stops running and raises his hands in the air. A voice apparently from the helicopter communicating to officers on the ground, advises them that Belander has his arms up and does not appear to have anything in his hands.

Officers wrote in their reports that they believed Belander was reaching for his midsection, where he may have had a gun, and that he did not comply with verbal commands to get on the ground. Several officers also stated that Belander resisted arrest, fighting, kicking and grabbing an officer’s arm as they tried to take him into custody.

“He had his hands up and he wasn't moving-- that changed from the moment they Tased him in the back,” said Schwartzstein. “They kicked him in the head, and then they kicked him again in the side and in the arm and it went on from there. It's hard to say at what point a person is resisting arrest or just protecting themselves.”

One officer said he tried to kick Belander in the shoulder to subdue him, but ended up kicking him in the face because he was flailing around.

“For all I know, he was convulsing after being kicked in the head,” said Schwartzstein.

Belander’s attorneys say the video shows six officers Tasing Belander multiple times and delivering dozens of blows to the suspect after he surrendered and was on the ground and did not make any threatening movements.

A medical exam at the jail concluded Belander suffered cuts, scrapes and broken bones. Belander’s notice of claim says he may have also suffered memory loss and posttraumatic stress.

Belander is behind bars. His attorneys filed a notice of claim for $350,000.

None of the officers involved have been placed on leave.

It is the Mesa Police Department’s policy not to comment on ongoing internal investigations.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_southeast_valley/mesa/mesa-police-video-shows-violent-arrest,-suspect-files-claim

15 arrested during raid of Phoenix meat-packing business

Fifteen people were arrested after Maricopa County sheriff's deputies served a search warrant at a Phoenix meat-packing business with employees suspected of using stolen identities on Tuesday.

Between 30 and 40 employees at Prime Cut Meat & Seafood Company were detained by the deputies as the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office looked for 15 to 20 people suspected of identity theft. The Sheriff's Office had been investigating the case for several months, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.

"We're going to continue business raids because you have to understand we have an unemployment problem," Arpaio said. "We took off 15 people with felonies off the street."

At least five of the people arrested had fake dates of birth and Social Security numbers. One of those arrested, a woman, was using the identification of a 90-year-old woman, Arpaio said.

"This is a serious problem, and I'm the bad guy," Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. "People forget (the people we arrested) have false identification, and that's a serious problem."

As the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office drove away from the business, the co-workers of the arrested people waved, cried and one of them shouted in Spanish, "This is an injustice!"

"They destroy families, separate them," said Erasto Martinez, 47, an employee.

Chad Poppen, the owner of Prime Cut Meat & Seafood Company said he was upset at how the system worked.

"I lost one-third of my working staff," said Poppen, who said he runs his employees' information through E-Verify. The system is "forcing you to hire based on the color of their skin."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/12/20101012phoenix-sheriff-immigration-raid-abrk.html

Radio host leads Phoenix police protests

Protestors planned to gather Monday outside Phoenix Police headquarters for the fifth straight day to continue to draw attention to last week's officer-involved shooting of an unarmed man.

The protest set to begin this afternoon at 620 West Washington Street will include a re-enactment of the incident, with community activists portraying two Phoenix police officers and a 29-year-old domestic violence suspect fatally shot inside his mother's trailer home on Oct. 5.

Phoenix police Officer Richard Chrisman shot and killed suspect Danny Frank Rodriquez during a scuffle in the trailer home near Central Avenue and Baseline Road.

A fellow officer told investigators Chrisman held a gun to Rodriquez's head and that the suspect never posed a serious threat of violence to the officers, according to court records.

Organizer Carlos Galindo, (left) a Spanish-language talk show host, said protests would continue until Chrisman is charged with murder.

Chrisman was arrested last week and charged with aggravated assault, though Maricopa County prosecutors could possibly re-arrest the officer on murder charges, officials said.

On Monday, protestors also planned to line the sidewalk near police headquarters with memorial lanterns to mark Rodriquez's death. Galindo said one activist would use a toy gun and mask made out of a jail booking photo of Chrisman to portray the officer. Galindo added that he has worked with Phoenix police to make them aware of the protest schedule.

Protests last week drew as many as 60-80 people, many who heard Galindo's calls to the public.

Galindo, who hosts a Hispanic Christian radio-show, helped the family of murder victim Juan Varela protest at the state Capitol in May. Police said Varela was killed by a White neighbor who shouted racial slurs during the shooting.

The case was not initally labelled as a hate-crime, though prosecutors later added it as an aggravating factor, which could lead to enhanced sentencing if shooting suspect Gary Kelley is convicted.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PHXBeat/101182/sort_D

Arizona city police to get wearable video cameras

LAKE HAVASU CITY - Lake Havasu City police will soon be equipped with head-mounted video cameras that record their contacts with suspects and citizens.

The city is buying a system from Scottsdale-based Taser International that captures video and audio for later use in court or in other cases where the officer's actions might be in question.

The AXON system has been tested across Mohave County in recent months. Lake Havasu will be the first city in the state to deploy the units operationally.

It is buying seven units, and 90 percent of their cost is being paid for with a U.S. Justice Department grant.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/11/20101011arizona-city-police-wearable-video-cameras11-ON.html

Phoenix police shooting protests continue

Protests against a police shooting of an unarmed Latino man will continue through the weekend, organizers said.

Protests will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday outside Phoenix police headquarters at 620 W. Washington St., according to coordinator and radio host Carlos Galindo.

In addition, on Monday evening there are plans to light luminarias all along the area in front of the headquarters, he said.

A first protest Thursday night following a memorial for Rodriguez drew approximately 30 people.

Galindo said he expected larger crowds through the weekend, and accused the Valley's Latino leaders of engaging in "pick-and-choose activism."

"Why aren't the usual Latino activists out there? You know if this was in Los Angeles there would be burning cars," Galindo said. "But in Arizona it's apathetic Latinos and failed leadership."

Phoenix police Officers Richard Chrisman and Sergio Virgillo responded to a domestic-violence call Tuesday, which resulted in the death of Rodriquez and a family dog.

Rodriquez's mother had placed the 911 call.

According to court records documenting an interview with Virgillo, Rodriquez was unarmed but there was a struggle. During the struggle, he said, Chrisman shot the dog; Rodriquez was shot later.

Rodriquez died at the scene.

Chrisman was arrested and faces felony charges, but his representatives, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, issued a statement in support of his actions.

Galindo said the protests represent the Latino community's desire to see Chief Jack Harris and Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley have Chrisman rearrested and charged with murder.

"We're not going to put up with the injustices and the abuse on behalf of the police," Galindo told The Republic on Friday.

Galindo said the protests would continue past Monday if necessary.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/10/09/20101009phoenix-police-shooting-protests-brk.html

Protesters demand justice in officer shooting

About 60 people gathered with signs and megaphones outside the Phoenix police headquarters Friday night to protest an officer involved shooting that left an unarmed domestic-violence suspect dead.

The protest was a follow-up to a memorial for Danny Frank Rodriquez outside the headquarters Thursday night, with approximately 30 people in attendance, according to coordinator and radio host Carlos Galindo.

Phoenix police officers Richard Chrisman and Sergio Virgillo responded to a domestic-violence call Tuesday, which resulted in the death of Rodriquez and a family dog.

Rodriquez's mother had placed the 911 call.

According to court records documenting an interview with Virgillo, Rodriquez was unarmed but there was a struggle. During the struggle, he said, Chrisman shot the dog; Rodriquez was shot later.

Rodriquez died at the scene.

Chrisman was arrested and faces felony charges, but his representatives, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, issued a statement in support of his actions.

Galindo said the protest represents the Latino community's desire to see Chief Jack Harris and Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley have Chrisman rearrested and charged with murder.

"We're not going to put up with the injustices and the abuse on behalf of the police," Galindo said.

Adults, children and a man dressed as Uncle Sam carried signs as they circled in front of the headquarters chanting, "no justice, no peace, no Phoenix police." One sign read, "We demand justice and respect for the Latino community," while another read, "Welcome to Phoenix, the capitol of racism."

A pit-bull and Labrador mix was among the crowd, wearing a T-shirt with inked bullet holes and the words, "Would you kill me too?"

Mesa resident Susanna Astarte said she joined the protest when she heard about the dog, saying her greyhound was shot by a police officer years earlier.

"I was so distraught that someone would shoot my dog," she said. "[Police] need to be retrained so that the first thing to do is talk first, Taser second, and shoot last."

Several speakers took over the megaphone and spoke to the crowd in Spanish, but Galindo and Manuel Martinez gave speeches in both English and Spanish. A memorial for Rodriquez with candles, photos and a cross, sat in the middle of the group.

Galindo recounted the events leading up to Rodriquez's death. The crowd burst into applause when Galindo shouted, "We demand justice. We demand a re-arrest!"

Martinez asked the crowd to support of the other officer, who he said could be considered "a snitch."

"Not all officers are bad," he said. "There are many good officers of all races. We need to support this officer."

Galindos said the protests would continue throughout the weekend.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/08/20101008phoenix-police-shooting-protest-abrk.html

Mesa police shoot, kill man officers said was suicidal

For the second time in a week, Mesa police said a suicidal man was shot and killed by officers during a confrontation.

The officer-involved shooting occurred late Wednesday night, Mesa Police said, in the 700 block of West Farmdale Avenue.

Police said officers were alerted to the scene at around 8:00 p.m. Negotiators were on scene when the suspect exited the house through the garage for the first time.

Police said the suspect had a gun but did not raise the weapon at officers. Police then fired rubber bullets and a percussion grenade at the man as way to force him to surrender. The suspect instead went back in the house.

Mesa Police Detective Steve Berry said the man exited a second time, and police responded by firing bean-bag rounds at him. Police said the suspect continued to approach officers and raised his weapon at authorities. One officer responded by firing his weapon at the suspect. Details on how many rounds were fired and where the suspect was hit were not available.

Mesa Police said no officers were injured, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police said they were dispatched to the scene after receiving a suicidal person call.

No further details were available.

On Monday, Cole Ravel, 35, died from injuries he received after Mesa police shot him Sept. 30 at an apartment complex at 1840 W. Emilita Ave. as he reportedly came after the officers with a machete.

Police said at the time of the shooting that Ravel's mother told them he had threatened to commit suicide earlier that day.

As one of the officers entered the apartment, Ravel met him with a "large machete-type" knife, police said.

The officer fell in the doorway and as he attempted to back away, Ravel advanced toward him, police said. By then two other officers had arrived and opened fire, striking him multiple times.

The officers chose not to use their Tasers on Ravel because he was too close to them, police said.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/10/07/20101007mesa-police-shoot-kill-man.html