body,td,th { font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; }
And, indeed, there is more to the scene than is captured in that video. The slap down with the police happened at Long Island Bar on Saturday night at closing time. Apparently, Richards was trying to get into the club at that time and police would not allow him. But, what they did to stop him - may have crossed the line of justifiable restraint. We spoke off-camera to a patron who was in the club that night and saw the whole scene unfold. He asked us to also disguise his voice:
Voice of Eyewitness
"In the video you can clearly see that the police officer slapped the young man that is from Coast Guard. He slapped the young man and that was what started the altercation. Before, the young man was calm and cool. He was just asking the officers to please go in to get something to drink but I do not know what the young man told the officer but he said something and the officer slapped the young man and that started the entire back on fort and the altercation between the 2 officers. The way I see it Jules, the young man was... yes he exploded but at the time he was just defending his self because the officer slapped him for no reason. They had no right to slap him. I felt that he the officer thought that he would slap the young man and the young man would just take it. But I don't know Jules. The whole situatio just messed up and I feel bad for the young man."
Jules Vasquez:
"What do you think would be a fair resolution to something like this."
Voice of Eyewitness
"Well honestly Jules I think that they shouldn't charge the man as a criminal and they shouldn't strip the man as a Coast Guard. Yes the man yes the man was acting disorderly. Maybe he made his right and turned it wrong but to send him to jail and to strip him from his job was it's outrageous because the young man... the way I see it Jules he was just defending himself. The young man was just defending himself and what's not and then the police was harrassing him. Yes I could understand that you're closing the venue but to slap someone for no reason is is way out. I t's I don't see I don't see no justification for that."
But, despite the counter narrative - Richards still faces 2 counts of aggravated assault upon two Corporals and one count of using threatening words upon one of those corporals.
