Police: Officer Baited In Altercation That Injured Him

[The Northerner]

Public Safety Director: Staged Fight 'Totally Inappropriate'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Relations between the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and some members of the African-American community are still a sore spot in the weeks since the Brandon Johnson incident.

Case in point -- an altercation in which an officer was injured during a presentation to a youth symposium last weekend that officials said was staged, leading to the suspension of a parks manager and animosity among officers, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported.

Sgt. Matthew Grimes was asked to give a presentation to a church audience on July 24 at Municipal Gardens, in the 1800 block of Lafayette Road.

During the presentation, an altercation broke out in the crowd, and Grimes intervened. The officer was thrown to the ground and drew his Taser, ready to stun one of the people involved, police said.

At that point, someone stepped in and told the officer that the incident had been concocted to test the reaction of the officer to the situation, police said. Grimes suffered severe back spasms after the incident and was taken to Methodist Hospital for treatment.

Read more: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/24453132/detail.html

[gvstn]

1. Edited

If this account is true than I jumped the gun on my previous post.

""Grimes didn't know any of this was planned," Ciesielski said. "It wasn't a knock-down, drag-out fight, but they were going at it and Matthew went there to intervene."

The police report did not identify the combatants, who were in their early 20s. Grimes got between them to keep them apart and was knocked to his knees, wrenching his back. The impact also knocked his radio off his shoulder and out of reach.

As Grimes, the only officer there, was reaching for his pepper spray, Harrington intervened and announced that it was all staged.""
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100803/LOCAL18/8030324/1195/LOCAL18/Criminal-charges-are-possible-in-staged-fight

[mike_c]

2. police crying foul when they show themselves to be racist thugs....

Yeah, that's a crappy view in the mirror, isn't it?

[Riftaxe]

5. Might want go through the onerous act

of actually reading the article. If you still want to stand by your post, it would be highly amusing to hear what your definition of racism is.

[mike_c]

6. racism is central to this dispute....

Relations between the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and some members of the African-American community are still a sore spot in the weeks since the Brandon Johnson incident.

--snip--

James Harrington, pastor of the Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, said he set up the scenario to test a white officer's reaction to a fight between two black men.

from June 10:

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/23758942/detail.html

Civil Rights Groups Want Federal Probe Into Officers' Actions
NAACP, Concerned Clergy: Teen Was Beaten By Officers

INDIANAPOLIS -- Some civil rights groups are calling for a federal investigation into the actions of four Indianapolis police officers accused of excessive force and racism in the arrest of a 15-year-old boy last month.

--snip--

Members of the Greater Indianapolis NAACP and the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis rallied on the steps of the federal building downtown on Tuesday, wearing T-shirts with graphic pictures of Johnson's injuries, 6News' Derrik Thomas reported.

They said they want a federal investigation into what they call a case of police brutality.

"We are going to make sure our community knows that we're here to support them. We're not going to take the racial slurs and any of that kind of force from the police," said local NAACP President Chrystal Ratcliffe.

Do we really have to have a discussion about my "definition of racism?" Apparently it's more-or-less consistent with the NAACP's definition. That'll do for me.

[LaurenG]

3. Wow that's really absurd

you invite a man to a CHURCH to make a presentation to a youth symposium and then have him thrown to the ground to see if he'll defend himself and in what manner he'd do it? Why?
I have no love lost for police officers because I had a very bad 20 year experience being a police wife but in this case with the facts presented here, those that set the cop up are assholes.

[npk]

7. But it's OK in this situation

Because the black pastor was testing the white officers racism. So I suppose now if you are black or a minority you can just about stage any crime you want in Indianapolis and just say you were testing the police response.

Kind of hard to wrap your head around I know, but it makes since to most people on DU.

[MilesColtrane]

4. Got to go with the cop on this one.

If someone physically assaults me I'll defend my self.

(Of course, I won't have a taser at hand.)