If you run you should be hit.
COLUMBIA --- A South Carolina state trooper who bragged about a crash that sent a fleeing suspect flying over the hood of his cruiser is to go on trial this week in a case drawing scrutiny from leaders of the state's black community.
Lance Cpl. Steve Garren is accused of using unreasonable force and depriving Marvin Grant of his civil rights in the crash, which was captured on the patrol car's dashboard video camera. Cpl. Garren is white; Mr. Grant is black. A conviction in the case -- set to begin Tuesday in a federal court in Greenville -- could bring the now-suspended officer 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
After the incident, Cpl. Garren, 39, tells another trooper, "Yeah, I hit him. I was trying to hit him."
It's first of at least two civil rights abuse trials to come from a spate of police videos that appeared to show aggressive action by South Carolina troopers. The videos and how supervisors treated the officers on them brought the ousters of the heads of the Highway Patrol and Department of Public Safety earlier this year.
A second trial is also expected for a trooper accused of repeatedly kicking a truck driver in the head after a highway chase.
"I think (the cases) are both equally premeditated," said Lonnie Randolph, the chairman of the state chapter of the National Associated for the Advancement of Colored People. "Whether you've got somebody with steel-toed shoes who weighs 225 pounds kicking you in the face or a person with a car weighing 2,000 pounds hitting you, I'd put the same level of criticism on both."
Cpl. Garren's attorney predicted his client will be vindicated because of the video that shows the chase on a narrow, dark back road in Greenwood County in June 2007 after Mr. Grant bailed out of a car. John O'Leary said Cpl. Garren didn't have time to get out of the way as Mr. Grant cut in front of the cruiser. He also noted no state charges were ever brought.
"There's no way he could have intended to hit the guy based on that time frame," Mr. O'Leary said. "The truth of the matter is this crime requires that it be willful. And, you know, we just believe it wasn't. It was an accident."
The lawyer said he'll have an expert testify about how officers react to stressful situations to explain the comments Cpl. Garren made after the crash.
Federal prosecutors declined to comment. The 38-year-old Mr. Grant, who was sentenced in May to up to a year in jail for not paying child support, could not be reached for comment.
But state Rep. Leon Howard, the chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, which helped bring the videos to the governor's attention, said Cpl. Garren's bragging shows the mind-set of the trooper.
"It's ingrained in him to think they've got the kind of authority to do the things they do. He acts like he's just hit a squirrel," said Mr. Howard, D-Columbia. "It's ridiculous that he would even say that he's innocent."
Comments
If you run you should be hit.
Same 'ol propoganda. Al, Jesse, step on up!
Garren is quoted as saying "Yeah, I hit him. I was trying to hit him." Maybe he was trying to look big in front of his co-workers but that statement is going to weigh heavy in the prosecutor's favor. If he did truly try to hit him he should have been charged at the state level also. We do not need dirty cops. Lately we have seen quite a few law enforcement officers called in to answer charges along these lines.
I personaly rather see him strike a fleeing felon rather than an innocent squirrel. Animals have more dignity.
Is this gonna be on "Wildest Police Videos" or "America's Funniest Videos?" I vote the latter. I have heard of Flying Squirrels, but let's be realistic; when it comes to fleeing and Flying Felons, well, nothing beats it! NAACP? What a frickin' joke! Where's this group when the brothers maim, rape, kill innocent folks of ANY color? Nowhere. They cower and lurk in the corner until one of their own is "abused" or perceived to have been abused in their (blind) eyes. NAACP? Colored People? How antiquated is that??? If I wrote about the "colored people" I'd be labeled a racist (look up the def.) and the NAACP would be on me like white, oops, black on shxx.
Who gives a rip if the person is running from the cops is stopped by whatever means necessary WITHOUT harming the Police Officer. Today's punks have no respect. If being run over by a car teaches respect... that should have been taught by the parents.. run over them. Give the Officer a raise and a promotion!!!
yak1 i hope this happen to u so u can see how it feeling.you just said some stupid smh..
running are not this officer should'nt have done what he did.
yak1, 426, edward,crazy.. you are a racist, but guess what until it is in your front yard you will always have stupid, racist comments. you get what you give remember that... or lets say speak not and you will speak to soon...
hisfaith, what did edward say that was racist? For that matter, any of them. Do you even know what a racist is? Might want to look up the definition. Then reread the comments. SMH did you see the video? I haven't.
I have witnessed first hand the agressive nature of "some" law enforcement officers. It is usually the younger officers who try to mimick "cops" or either it is a great big guy that tries to use that size to intimidate. I think alot of police go in the line of work to make up for being a wimp all through school. Perhaps being picked on alot and never excelled in anything and they use the badge and a gun to make up for it. As in this case however, an old saying comes to mind. A wise old man once said that when a man gets so lazy that he don't want to work, he becomes a policeman or a taxi driver. Seems this patrolman fits this to a "T" !
You people are just plain stupid. Have any of you ever heard of Due Process? The next time you jay walk maybe someone should run you [filtered word] over. After all you committed a crime, who cares how petty it was.
hypo, you ever heard running from the law is a crime???? Idiot! He should have killed the [filtered word], white or black!
Late post: I saw the video, and regardless of what the cop said; this guy ran across the road directly in front of the cruiser. You know? I don't really care if he got hit.
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