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Officer Down! [updated with legal resolution]

Anyone heard anything new about this? I'm curious what the outcome will be.
 
I know this kind of stuff really happens.

A guy at my work was rear ended at a stop sign (in a company vehicle) by an OPD who was allegedly looking at his computer instead of the road.

According to my co-worker, the cop got out and instantly tried laying blame on him:rofl
 
Archimedes said:
I can't figure out which is more douchey, that lying bastard cop making this poor slob's life a mess over nothing or Two Stroke spending all his time searching for this stuff on teh interwebs.
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You're being ironic.

You don't have to scour the Internet for cases of authority abuse, this is happening if fucking Los Angeles, California. Not exactly under a rock.
 
nope. in CA you don't need consent in places where you can't expect privacy.
 
It's been over a year since we last heard about Mr. Hitchcock, Officer Parente, and the machinations of the Redondo Beach PD and City Prosecutor. Here's a quick summary and update that brings us up to the present, though probably not yet to the end of the story.


The Crash

On June 8, 2010, at 6:00pm, Brian Hitchcock was driving home from work in his BMW 323 convertible, with the top down, on Artesia Blvd in Redondo Beach (link to Google maps). After accelerating from a traffic signal he was startled by a motorcop's siren, panicked, slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop in the #2 traffic lane (of 2). The motor officer, Anthony Parente of nearby Hermosa Beach PD, asspacked the BMW and was thrown into the back seat of the car (see photo in the OP). Officer Parente was injured in the crash but spent only one night in the hospital.

The Charges

Though Hitchcock claimed the incident was purely accidental, he "realized this could be twisted around to look like I was at fault". For good reason: Redondo Beach PD began an investigation of the incident as an intentional assault on the officer. They failed to persuade the LA County DA to charge him with a felony because the DA didn't think they could prove it was intentional. But in December 2010 the Redondo Beach city prosecutor charged him with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, reckless driving causing bodily harm, and reckless driving. While Parente claimed he tried to pull Hitchcock over because the driver had cut him off, he was never cited for a traffic violation.

The Collapse

Through it all, Hitchcock proclaimed his innocence and refused a plea deal. Then, in January 2012, the day the trial was set to begin, charges against Hitchcock were dropped. The city prosecutor said, "The people learned of information that made us believe that the case against Mr. Hitchcock could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." She didn't elaborate.

Hitchcock's attorney, however, wasn't shy in his assessment. He called it an intentional act by the cop. "This was part of a pattern on Officer Parente's part to scam people for money. He's made a career out of it." Parente had made six previous workers' comp claims. Three eyewitnesses would corroborate Hitchcock's version of the crash. Surveillance video recorded it and supported Hitchcock. And a previous victim of Parente, a driver who had been rear-ended by the cop in 2008 (in a car, not on a motorcycle), would testify to his experience.

Hitchcock plans to sue both Parente and Hermosa Beach PD (the department he works for, not the jurisdiction of the crash).


Sources
 
fuckin hate it when cops follow unnecessarily close. very glad the ruling went this way
 
Thanks for the cliff's notes, Dan.
Quick question: are these decided "with prejudice"? Ie does the city pay pay the drivers' legal, or is that why they're suing now?
 
2strokeYardSale said:
motorcycle-cop.jpg
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This seems to be a case of mistaken identity!

noltemug.jpg
 
jeepjockey said:
Quick question: are these decided "with prejudice"? Ie does the city pay pay the drivers' legal, or is that why they're suing now?
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The Redondo Beach prosecutor certainly didn't admit doing anything wrong, and I would guess they're totally immune from any sort of legal action anyway. All she said is that they didn't have enough evidence to prove their case.

The statement from the prosecutor reported by the Daily Breeze (abbreviated in my post) was: "Through the discovery process, which takes place only after a criminal case is filed, the people learned of information that made us believe that the case against Mr. Hitchcock could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

What that means, I think, is that she was totally blindsided by discovery turned over by the defense. Though she probably knew about the eyewitnesses, she may not have seen the video (dismissed by PD detectives, but enhanced by the defense). And she probably wasn't aware of the previous workers comp cases and the 2008 rear-ender. And then there were paternity and child support obligations :rolleyes. (See sources in my previous post.)

Note that they're planning to sue Hermosa Beach, the cop's employer, not Redondo Beach, the jurisdiction where the crash occurred.
 
Dan,
You rock for keeping us all apprised of these various events. Thanks for your work in keeping everybody informed. :thumbup:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup
 
:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl
OldMadBrit said:
I was going to suggest that the officer involved was a bit of a wanker, for a very poorly executed stop. But I guess with the "soft tissue injury" that he probably insnt anymore. :teeth :thumbup
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:rofl:rofl:rofl

Good one Steve.

Having to deal with LEO that have their union contracts in one hand and their overtime sheets in another, its high time we start holding them accountable! Please!
 
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