# Houston police beating **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 4, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096 "2011-02-04T00:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/1 "2011-02-04T00:34:18Z")
Here’s the video link. It’s pretty graphic. [http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/13\_undercover&id=7936228](http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/13_undercover&id=7936228) These guys are a total disgrace to police everywhere for the following reasons. 1. The kid knew when to give up. He was laying there totally surrendered, hands behind his head and a gang of cops run up on him and beat the crap out of him for a full thirty seconds. Unprofessional and uncalled for. 2. Seriously? Did they think they were gonna beat this kid down out in the middle of the street and not get on video? 3. These guys are pussies. A half dozen cops beat and kick a non-resisting kid and he gets up and walks to the police cruiser. Boy, aren’t we tough. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/2 "2011-02-04T02:26:26Z")
I don’t really understand number 3. Are you saying it would be better if he were badly injured after the beating? ---
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/3 "2011-02-04T04:32:18Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > I don’t really understand number 3. Are you saying it would be better if he were badly injured after the beating? In this case no, he didn’t deserve it. But a cop should know how, and more importantly when, to use physical force and do a good job of it. ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/4 "2011-02-04T12:07:53Z")
The part about the apparent efforts to suppress the video is very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/5 "2011-02-04T13:06:10Z")
> [@Kilmore](#): > > In this case no, he didn’t deserve it. But a cop should know how, and more importantly when, to use physical force and do a good job of it. Cops are only supposed to use physical force to protect their safety and effectively take suspects into custody. Delivering a savage beatdown isn’t part of the deal. At any rate, what these guys were doing was obviously venting their frustration at having to chase down the suspect. I see at least 5 police cars in frame, and there are more cops coming in from out of frame, so this had to have been a somewhat protracted chase. Frankly, a long chase is just something that an officer is going to have to deal with as part of the job, you can’t react this poorly to it. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/6 "2011-02-04T14:03:55Z")
I don’t see, not can I imagine, any justification for this action. I’m sure, as **Cheesesteak** posits, that it was anger and frustration… but cops can’t give in to those impulses. This appears me to be criminal assault, and I expect the cops to be convicted. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/7 "2011-02-04T14:14:28Z")
Love that Quanell X guy. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/8 "2011-02-04T16:20:46Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I don’t see, not can I imagine, any justification for this action. I’m sure, as **Cheesesteak** posits, that it was anger and frustration… but cops can’t give in to those impulses. This appears me to be criminal assault, and I expect the cops to be convicted. I disagree. The cops were in lawful pursuit of this suspect. This kid didn’t comply with police orders fast enough. Further, by taking part in criminal activity such as burglary, the suspect understands that one of the natural consequences is that occassionally a homeowner or rival burglarer will get into an altercation with him and he’ll be beaten or kicked. So it’s a natural extension that he should expect the potential of a police beatdown as well. Besides, the cop claimed that he had a sword on him and the multiple kicks were a means of dislodging his grip on it. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/9 "2011-02-04T16:39:46Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > Love that Quanell X guy. Take him. Please. He’s Houston’s resident poverty pimp, thinks he’s a clone of Jesse Jackson. I have a lot of respect for HPD. They do a thankless job most of the time. But based on that video, heads are gonna roll and deservedly so. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/10 "2011-02-04T16:44:30Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I disagree. The cops were in lawful pursuit of this suspect. This kid didn’t comply with police orders fast enough. Further, by taking part in criminal activity such as burglary, the suspect understands that one of the natural consequences is that occassionally a homeowner or rival burglarer will get into an altercation with him and he’ll be beaten or kicked. So it’s a natural extension that he should expect the potential of a police beatdown as well. > Besides, the cop claimed that he had a sword on him and the multiple kicks were a means of dislodging his grip on it. I can’t find any reference to a sword anywhere. Do you have a link? Obviously if that’s the case, then that changes the picture considerably, but I can find no reference to it, nor any hint in the video of it. As to your other claims, I agree that the suspect should probably understand that getting beaten up is a foreseeable consequence of the life of a burglar, but that has nothing to do with the criminal liability of the officers administering this particular beatdown. So I don’t see the relevance of that observation. ---
**Author:** ![3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/47e85d/32.png) [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3_20_59_or_bust)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/11 "2011-02-04T16:46:58Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I disagree. The cops were in lawful pursuit of this suspect. This kid didn’t comply with police orders fast enough. Further, by taking part in criminal activity such as burglary, the suspect understands that one of the natural consequences is that occassionally a homeowner or rival burglarer will get into an altercation with him and he’ll be beaten or kicked. So it’s a natural extension that he should expect the potential of a police beatdown as well. > Besides, the cop claimed that he had a sword on him and the multiple kicks were a means of dislodging his grip on it. Did you actually watch the video? “Natural extension” or not, there are laws against assaulting people, even if you’re a cop. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/12 "2011-02-04T17:05:54Z")
Wow…that was fucking disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/13 "2011-02-04T17:14:17Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I can’t find any reference to a sword anywhere. Do you have a link? > > Obviously if that’s the case, then that changes the picture considerably, but I can find no reference to it, nor any hint in the video of it. > > As to your other claims, I agree that the suspect should probably understand that getting beaten up is a foreseeable consequence of the life of a burglar, but that has nothing to do with the criminal liability of the officers administering this particular beatdown. So I don’t see the relevance of that observation. Woosh. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/14 "2011-02-04T17:49:41Z")
Near Houston resident here. We’ve heard about the tape for 10 months now. I knew it was going to be bad but still was shocked by the violence, especially by the guy doing all the kicking. As mentioned, despite him being agitated by the circumstances of the chase, he went way too far and appears to be guilty of criminal assualt. But see, that’s the whole reason the DA and the judge did not want the tape released yet. It’s prejudiced my mind and will do the same for the entire jury pool available here. I think it’s an important distinction that they sought to merely delay the release until after the officer had received a fair trial. Quanell X knew that, yet released a copy as soon as a tiny break in the tape custody became available. He claims a defense of “this needed to be seen”, yet that falls flat because it would have been _after_ a fair trial was held. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/15 "2011-02-04T17:56:08Z")
> [@Kilmore](#): > > 1. The kid knew when to give up. He was laying there totally surrendered, hands behind his head and a gang of cops run up on him and beat the crap out of him for a full thirty seconds. Unprofessional and uncalled for. Completely agree here. He’s laying face down with his hands on his head; he’s clearly surrendering. I could possibly see a little scuffling in a video like that if maybe there was some obstructed struggling, but there’s absolutely no way that isn’t above far above and beyond what was necessary. Beyond that, some of the stuff they’re doing to him can’t possibly serve any purpose in subduing him if he was struggling. What does stomping on a guys foot, who already has 3 or 4 cops sitting on him, doing to help get him under control? > [@](#): > > 1. Seriously? Did they think they were gonna beat this kid down out in the middle of the street and not get on video? Even more stupidity, but I’m glad it happened where it did. I can only imagine that for every one of these we see, there’s probably a handful of others where there’s no witnesses or they’re just too slow to start filming. > [@](#): > > 1. These guys are pussies. A half dozen cops beat and kick a non-resisting kid and he gets up and walks to the police cruiser. Boy, aren’t we tough. I get your point, and they certainly deserve the dig, but as others said, it looks more like they’re just venting frustration, not really going to injury him. Taking some body shots and some leg stomping isn’t going to cripple him, but it will probably make a frustrated asshole cop feel better after venting. Then again, if they were to try to play it off as legitimately necessary to subdue him, that he can easily get up and walk away does seem to undermine the possibility of that sort of defense. Regardless, those cops beating him deserve to get convicted of criminal assault, and even the ones just kinda there and not doing something to stop it ought to at least get suspended or fired and possibly get charged with some form of negligence. Edit: With the tape out now, I wonder if the kid can get an appeal, since he was tried and convicted of burgulary. What say you lawyer types? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/16 "2011-02-04T18:01:19Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > Edit: With the tape out now, I wonder if the kid can get an appeal, since he was tried and convicted of burgulary. What say you lawyer types? Highly doubtful. The elements of burglary would have been established at trial, and have nothing to do with what’s on the tape. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/17 "2011-02-04T18:01:45Z")
If I’m not mistaken the tape _was_ available and used in the kid’s trial. The only thing that’s changed is that it’s now out in the public domain, thus potentially prejudicing subsequent rights to an impartial jury. ETA: **Bricker** ’s the legal expert. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/18 "2011-02-04T18:12:34Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I disagree. The cops were in lawful pursuit of this suspect. This kid didn’t comply with police orders fast enough. Further, by taking part in criminal activity such as burglary, the suspect understands that one of the natural consequences is that occassionally a homeowner or rival burglarer will get into an altercation with him and he’ll be beaten or kicked. So it’s a natural extension that he should expect the potential of a police beatdown as well. > Besides, the cop claimed that he had a sword on him and the multiple kicks were a means of dislodging his grip on it. My ears popped. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/19 "2011-02-04T18:18:01Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I don’t see, not can I imagine, any justification for this action. I’m sure, as **Cheesesteak** posits, that it was anger and frustration… but cops can’t give in to those impulses. This appears me to be criminal assault, and I expect the cops to be convicted. You are full of shit. “Justification for this action?” You sure searched hard enough for justification for a trigger happy SWAT team murdering an innocent man didnt you. But then, you never really believed all that shit you were spouting in the other thread did you, you just picked a contrary position and ran with it for shits and giggles. Cops cant give into those impulses? I guess its ok to give into the impulse to shoot everybody in the house when serving a warrant, but not to take out frustrations on an actual criminal? You fucking hypocrite. (To clarify, no, I dont believe the cops were justified here, its just that Brickies double standards are giving me hives) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096/20 "2011-02-04T18:37:36Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > (To clarify, no, I dont believe the cops were justified here, its just that Brickies double standards are giving me hives) It’s not a double standard. The cop who shot the fellow “armed” with a golf club had a split second to decide what to do in an environment that was (by design) highly charged and uncertain\*\*\*. The cop here was standing in an open area, looking down at a kid who was just hit by a car, and was lying face down with his hands behind his head, and decided to start kicking. There’s nothing that even resembles personal danger, just “I’m pissed at this kid, let me stomp on him.” I’m a guy who laughed at the “Don’t Tase Me, Bro” guy and supported the police in that incident, I can say these cops were in the wrong, without being a hypocrite. \*\*\*Note that I think the police were completely and utterly in the wrong for serving that no-knock warrant, because those warrants put police in this sort of split second life or death situation, and it’s almost always the resident who gets harmed when things go wrong. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-police-beating/570096.md?page=2)