There is another distressing claim of alleged police brutality to report tonight. The man complaining is 19-year-old Jaime Ramirez who has been charged with assaulting a police officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. But before he was taken to court, he had to go to the hospital where a doctor classified his injuries as harm. But more than abusing him physically, legal aid attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd says the cops violated Ramirez’s constitutional rights. Here’s his story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This afternoon 19 year old Jaime Ramirez showed the media his badly bruised right eye – which he says is proof of a vicious beating he received from police officers last night.
Jaime Ramirez, Alleges Police Brutality
“A white police pickup came and parked in front of me and told me to go in the vehicle. I didn’t want to go in and threw me in and I came out back. When I came out the second time the man started to grab me and twist my hand and then he shoved me in the vehicle and started to punch me like three times in my eye. He said when we reached at the police station, it won’t be nothing nice what he will do to me. The next driver grabbed me and tried to choke me.”
Ramirez had just dropped off his girlfriend Claudia Orellano.
Claudia Orellano, Girlfriend of Accuser
“I saw the police beating him up. When I saw the police beating him I ran back and when I ran back, I asked them what happened, what did he do. I told them he didn’t do anything because he had just left me and they told me not to put myself in this and to go from here. The police knocked me away, the police Grinage knocked me away. I asked him why would he knock me because that is my boyfriend. He said for me to go from here and go to the police station if I wanted to know anything. Right so he told me. And then they started to punch him. He came out of the vehicle and when he came out of the vehicle, they had him on the floor with his knee bent back way and they were choking him. They were choking him and when they put him in the vehicle, the policeman Grinage grabbed him from the front, because he was in the back, and grabbed him and choked by the neck again and then I saw them punch him. They punched him in the mouth and then they punched him in the eye. I see everything.”
He was taken to the police station where not even legal aid attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd could secure his release.
Audrey Matura Shepherd, Legal Aid Attorney
“I told them I am attorney for this young man, tell me what it is you have him here for. I heard four different stories, four different versions as to why they picked him up. One is that he fell, the next is that he was fighting with a fisherman, the next was that he was fighting with his girlfriend, and the next one was that he assaulted a police officer. They couldn’t keep their story straight. So to me that immediately sends up alarm and, like I told the police officer there on duty, look you all have the right to do your work. I have no problem if you pickup anyone, arrest and charge them. I will come and represent them, I will not get in your way of doing your job but then at the same time, you cannot get in my way of trying to protect his right.”
Claudia Orellano,
“He didn’t do nobody nothing. He was on the street with me. The police came and beat him up for no reason. They still can’t give us a reason why they arrested him.”
Police Press Officer Bart Jones says Ramirez was detained because he was involved in a fight with the very woman he sat next to this afternoon.
ASP Bart Jones, Police Press Officer
“A police mobile patrol were on patrol on the canal side, East Canal turning into Orange Street when a citizen informed them that there was a female and a male person of Hispanic descent who were engaged in a fight and they indicated to the police who that person was and at the time the police saw the individual, the male person moving towards the female who was already walking down Orange Street.
They intercepted that person and right away that person resisted. He was placed inside the police vehicle after which he ran out through the other door and was apprehended by Assistant Superintendent Grinage who pinned him down to the ground and he was placed back in the vehicle and he was taken to Queen Street Police Station.
According to the officers he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or some kind of drugs and they were continuously fighting with him in the vehicle while they were going to Queen Street Police Station and as a result they had to subdue him.”
Ramirez was released on bail for the disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges. The Magistrate threw out the assaulting a police officer charge.
And if you are wondering why the Police’s Acting Press Officer was at today’s press conference at the legal aid office, he was dispatched there by acting Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie. The department’s internal affairs desk is actively investigating the claims made by Ramirez. Attorney Matura-Shepherd says her client will seek constitutional redress.
