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| Videotape of beating by CYA officers is released |
| By Los Angeles Times |
| Published: 04/02/2004 |
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A state senator on Thursday released a videotape showing two correctional counselors beating two inmates at a California youth prison and called on prosecutors to stop "punting" the case and file criminal charges. State Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) said she had decided to make the tape public because it raised "profoundly serious" allegations of abuse by law enforcement officers who had been hired to rehabilitate young offenders. Romero acknowledged that she would be criticized by those who thought making the tape public might impede an investigation. Indeed, a top deputy to Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, who is reviewing the incident, visited Romero's office early Thursday and asked that she not release it. "It's not helpful," Lockyer spokesman Nathan Barankin said later in the day. "It's this sort of thing that provides ammunition to a defense attorney if charges are eventually filed." The tape, displayed on multiple screens in a Senate hearing room, was recorded by cameras that run continuously inside the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton, as at other juvenile prisons. Shot inside a housing unit, the tape shows the Jan. 20 scuffle between two correctional counselors and two inmates erupting in a small office before spilling into a lounge. It is unclear from the tape what started the fight, though California Youth Authority officials have said it began when one of the youths threw a punch and struck Counselor Delwin Brown in the nose. After the counselors and inmates wrestle in a standing position for several seconds, the tape shows the staff members taking the youths to the floor, facedown. Brown then sits astride Narcisco Morales, 21, and begins punching him with alternating fists, landing a total of 28 blows. At one point, Brown can be seen lifting Morales' head by the hair in what looks like an effort to get a better angle for his punch. A few feet away, the tape shows Counselor Marcel Berry slugging Vincent Baker, 19, and using his right knee to pummel him in the neck area as the youth lies motionless. After handcuffing Baker, Berry stands and makes a kicking motion toward the inmate's face, leaving what investigators say was a bruise. Although several other staff members surrounded the fracas, none initially tried to intervene, either to handcuff the youths - the priority during any fight, according to CYA policy - or to restrain their colleagues. Instead, one officer is seen shooting the youths with a gun that fires balls of pepper spray, while another sprays their faces with mace. In this episode, the four employees witnessing the melee filed written reports described by internal CYA investigators as "misleading" and "factually false" because they conflicted with the tape. Noting that the CYA's mission is to turn around the lives of troubled young men and women, Romero said the footage depicted conduct that was "the farthest thing from rehabilitation." The six employees in the case remain on paid administrative leave. While the CYA's criminal investigation is concluded, an internal disciplinary probe continues. It could lead to sanctions as severe as firing. |
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