Police union: Cops who beat Miami man "did absolutely nothing wrong"
MIAMI -- The Miami police union president says that police who beat a man after a traffic stop "did absolutely nothing wrong" and behaved "professionally," reports CBS Miami.
No one is disputing that Brian White's broken nose, black eyes, and heavy bruising were at the hands of Miami Police officers. But why he was left with those injuries is in question.
White says he was simply the passenger in a car that led police on a chase and was the victim of excessive force. But the Miami Police chief and the union reportedly see it differently.
"Our officers did everything professionally. They used a lot of restraint," said Lt. Javier Ortiz, President of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Ortiz says White brought the violence upon himself, an incident which was captured by a surveillance camera.
"He made the wrong decision. He decided to fight police. We weren't looking for a fight but we also have a duty to protect ourselves," Ortiz told CBS Miami.
According to his father, White was getting a ride to work from his longtime friend John Thomas last week, when police attempted to pull them over.
The incident report shows Thomas was wanted for allegedly defrauding a woman out of cash.
But instead of stopping, police say, Thomas led them on a chase, then jumped out of the car and lay on the ground as police approached. White did not exit the car.
White's father reportedly says that his son was urging his friend to stop the car and stop the chase. He also says his son stayed in the car and put his hands up out of fear. From the start, White insisted he did not resist police.
"I did everything they told me to do. I put my hands up. They took me out of the car and they hit me. I never resisted. I never hit a police officer or pushed them. I did nothing," White said in Spanish.
In the arrest forms, the officers allege White refused to get out of the car, kicked them, and at one point stood up to shove an officer.
"When we have to use force, it's not something that we enjoy," added Ortiz.
Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes says White and his family have not filed a formal complaint, but he has ordered an internal use of force investigation, which he says is standard procedure.
"There is other evidence that we still need to track down and once the facts of the case become clear then I'll make a determination whether it was proper or improper," said Llanes.
White is charged with battery and resisting arrest with violence. The driver in the chase is charged with fraud and grand theft for the previous crime he is accused of committing.