11 police officers East Cleveland, Ohio, were indicted this week after being filmed violently attacking suspects and destroying evidence. In one video a police officer appears to ram another motorist, to precipitate a brutal arrest in which the driver's pelvis was broken. Dozens of charges were filed–many based on what's seen in the officers' own bodycam footage.
East Cleveland, population 13,000, is adjacent to the much-larger city of Cleveland.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said there are a total of 16 officers charged in the investigation in the last six months.
"I think to any casual observer, those videos are appalling and a poor reflection of policing within our community and obviously criminal conduct," O'Malley said.
The three indictments consisted of a slew of charges against the 11 officers.
"I was appalled that we could be witnessing — witnessing a guy handcuffed and his head stomped, or witnessing a guy handcuffed and being tased while handcuffed repeatedly, which to me is a form of torture. And so certainly I was shaken. My next thoughts went to the victims of these incidents and how they're doing. But what we saw, again, were people who had surrendered and were being brutalized. And it upset me. But it also lit a fire in me that these things had to be fixed. And so, fix them we will," O'Malley said.
