Officer Said Man Hurt Himself. The Video Shows a Beating

Philadelphia officer hit handcuffed man in the face
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 12, 2019 5:40 PM CST
Updated Dec 12, 2019 5:50 PM CST
Officer Said Man Hurt Himself. The Video Shows a Beating
Jason Reid   (Philadelphia Police Department)

In his report, a Philadelphia police sergeant said a man he arrested hurt himself, slamming his head on the window of a police car over and over. That's not what the body camera footage showed. In the video, Jason Reid can be seen holding the man's head with one hand and punching him in the face with his other hand, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A judge watched the video and declared Reid's actions "outrageous government conduct" that would prevent the man from receiving a fair trial. Instead, Reid has been suspended, arrested and charged with a string of offenses: assault, tampering with public records, false reports and obstructing the administration of law. The charges resulted from an Internal Affairs investigation of the arrest in June.

The actions Reid is accused of, the district attorney said, "are exactly the sort of actions that undermine trust in law enforcement and make us all less safe," per Philly Voice. Reid, who has been with the force for 16 years, had already been named in complaints by at least five people who said he punched them in the head or face, court records show, but none of those allegations stuck. Filings also show that Reid has shot six people while on duty, all of which were found to have been within guidelines. The head of the civilian Police Advisory Commission pointed out that not only was Reid cleared in all complaints, he was promoted. "The Police Department is incredibly bad at investigating its own people," he said. (An apology from Phoenix police wasn't enough for one couple.)

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