Real Lawyers React: Cop Punches Driver in the Face

49 thoughts on “Real Lawyers React: Cop Punches Driver in the Face”

1. Oh 5 whole days wow. If I hit someone in the face I'd get years in prison.

2. A "D"? Are you insane?

3. So where is the charges in court.da needs to look into this he needs to pay for it.sue him. They ( the cops say there a pig 24 7 and now we find out the he is a pig it is not agained the law to give him the bird.

4. The officer got an unpaid week off and the promise of being paid for 3 yrs to sit through training, that everything points toward, he'll ignore. Plus they only did "something" after they were blasted in media. Another example of they protect their own.

5. The problem is with these types of crimes, if it goes before a judge, usually the police are put on a Diversionary Program of some sort.
   With Diversionary Programs, if they don't get in any trouble for 90 days, 6 months, a year, whatever the judge decides the crime gets wiped completely off the record (expunged) as if it never happened, that is not accountability. The officer "Diversionary Program" was designed for first-time offenders, but like qualified immunity, it gradually keeps getting expanded/abused, which gives protection to officers who have committed multiple offenses over the years.

6. There was no criminal act? Policy violation? Is it then just a policy violation to punch an Officer in the face? What the hell happened with this outcome lol???

7. 12:55 "The only thing the officer did right was not cause harm. Not make it more serious." Seriously?!

   The officer did cause harm; physically and to the already damaged trust in police officers because they get away with behavior like this. The citizens is demoted for showing his anger but not breaking the law. The officer is credited for breaking the law and attacking someone (possibly causing a concussion) for no reason, hiding behind his badge, fleeing from the scene of a crime, and if not given the heads up would have been deceitful, but not doing more harm. That sounds ridiculous!

   What could an officer do worse without killing someone?

8. He should loose his job permanently and get sued ,plus serve time

9. The officer deserves an F rating. The officer was off duty, not in uniform, not in a marked vehicle, exited his running vehicle in traffic, flashed his police badge (prior restraint?), threatened to ticket (prior restraint?) , assaulted a citizen (should have been arrested), and attempted to lie about the situation to police. If I ran a company and an employee acted in a way that tarnished or questioned my company's reputation, they would be fired. This officer should have been fired and charged with assault. Just for attempting to lie to police should have been cause to fire this officer because he is no longer trustworthy.

10. It's funny how, in a domestic a person, having swelling or red marks is enough to arrest the person but in a situation like this if it wasn't on film, it would be he said she said.

11. I worked on the front line in locked psych facilities. If I had ever punched a patient I would have been fired immediately.

    A shame we have no right to expect professionalism from police.

12. 14 minute video and you yanked 13 minutes of it

13. I support law enforcement but am aware theres bad apples in every aspect of life. Im retired nurse & have seen it in my field & actually testified in court.

14. This is easy FIRED

15. He carries a gun and a badge and he can’t be trusted to exercise reasonable judgement, he should be fired and arrested for assault. If he had his gun that could up it to felonious assault. He then failed to report a use of force incident, he flashed a badge, he was representing the department. Dishonest and no judgement.

16. Wouldnt be surprised if This cop has been violating rights for years.

17. This ego Cop is absolutely extremely dangerous.

18. Please tell me why this Cop was not fired? A cop that destroyed any reputation and credibility he may have had. He is now a worthless taxpayer liability.

19. Yeah, I can see the accountant abusing his accounting power.

20. Egos self destruct. Again proven by this dangerous cop

21. Man gets hit in the face shoots cop in self defense: 20 years for attempted murder.
    Cop gets hit in the face shoots person(not a cop) in self defense: self defense. No charges. Suspect gets arrested for assault on an officer.

22. If he would punched the cop he would be behinds bars and tazed. The cop gets a big fat "F". The cop should have been fired.

23. 9:25 – If you “don’t know” whether a violent criminal cop that committed a felonious violent crime on camera should be fired and prosecuted, then you are the problem. You’re not actually ridiculous enough to think this the only crime he’s committed in 20 years, right? You’re defending a violent cop. You’re not a bad lawyer.

24. That Officer should never be working near children or teenagers! He has no filter to stop him from acting out! Training will not stop this behavior because it is ingrained in his psyche!

25. Why Police did not arrest him right away?!

26. Plus the investigating cop tipped him off that it was on video rather than catching him lying . Pathetic

27. Where are the criminal charges ? Or does that only apply to citizens? Imagine if a citizen punched a cop what would happen

28. The phrase I hate is "reasonable, articulable suspicion" or RAS because it focuses on suspicion, a subjective feeling. The better way to look at it is "objective facts" which is the necessary foundation for an investigatory detention. SCOTUS screwed over the people by not requiring the officer to verbally state these objective facts at the start of any detention.

    As to this particular officer, he should have been fired and charged. He used his privilege as a law enforcement officer for personal reasons and he was less than truthful when confronted by the investigating officers until he learned about the video, then he attempted to conspire with those officers to take away the driver's rights.

    As to the Meridan Police Department, even though they found the off-duty officer's acts violated their policy, it was a criminal act and he should have been charged. Punching the driver served no legitimate governmental purpose. Because the officer showed his badge, he was acting under color-of-law and reaching into the vehicle to strike the driver was a possible violation of the Fourth Amendment. Qualified Immunity, if it is applicable here, is an affirmative defense and doesn't prevent charges from being filed. I wonder if the Meridan Police Department even consulted the District Attorney.

29. Few years back a YouTube ‘auditor’ did a story (a follow-up ) to a negative police interaction.
    Almost a year passed between the negative interaction and the Internal Review, and the cop was found to have violated procedures/policies. (The cop had remained on active duty during the Internal Investigation.)

    So the disciplinary action was for the cop to lose 7 days pay.
    But… the chief allowed the bad cop to serve his 7 day unpaid suspension at a rate of 1 day/week.
    But… to make it insulting, the chief also allowed the bad cop to ‘pick up’ an extra shift/week.

    So the bad cop regular work week was Monday – Friday at 10hrs/day. For a total of 40reg hours + 10OT hrs. Which gave 40+15 of pay =55hrs.
    Losing 1day/week meant the bad cop list 10 hrs, which cost him the OT pay.
    The loophole was that the extra shift he was allowed to pickup was a weekend 12hr shift.
    So the cop got 4days@10hrs=40 but then the weekend @ 12 OT hrs.
    40+18= 58hrs of pay!
    The cop was allowed to earn more during his suspension!
    Where’s the punitive deterrent in that?

30. They always say they’re held to a higher standard- but we see time after time they get lesser consequences than a civilian would have. I’ve lost so much respect for police over the special treatment they receive from their friends on the force and in the court system.

31. So the cop hits the man and nothing happened to him this is why people hate cops

32. What should be done? The same thing as if Joe citizen did it: be charged with assault & battery. Effect on job should be indirect from being charged & convicted.

33. Long and boring

34. Abolish qualified immunity just like New Mexico

35. I love his attitude change when he learns there is a video. He was not expecting that

36. i'm confused , the light looks green , but whatever color it is it hasn't changed, it should have at least changed . and then at 2:19 the cop drives away and the light still hasn't changed , something ain't right here,

37. The cop wanted the horn guy arrested but not be arrested for punching his face, some people's kids uh😅😂

38. All cops are evil bullies.

39. His badge number was on his fist I guess . Lol

40. That cop should have been fired period. Suspension was a total joke. They think they are above the law. Fire him then sue him big time.

41. Here is my main problem with this encounter…Flip it….If the off duty cop were the one who honked and the "regular Citizen" had got out, walked back and connected with a punch, that citizen would have been beaten by several other cops, arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law; he would have been charged with assault; after taking his beating by the cops, he would have been charged with resisting and would have been handcuffed, flung in the cruiser and spent a minimum of 24-48 hours in jail before having bail set….Everyone from the top elected officials to the cops themselves to the general public have got to quit treating cops as "super citizens"; quit placing them on a pedestal, quit allowing them to utilize their union (which this cop did) and make them totally accountable just as any other citizen is.

42. Police are notorious for fabricating charges in retalation.

43. "he thinks that i hit him?"
    "no, he has a video of you hitting him"

    damn got him

44. In which job can you work and punch someone and still work in that same job?!?

45. The cop got a 5 day suspension and had to take some anger management…That’s all…Someone please tell me how we can ever trust a word this cop says again given he was ready to lie about his actions until he was told it was all recorded?! And police wonder why the public has absolutely no trust in law enforcement?!

46. He should face assault and battery charges! "5 days without pay" 🙄…
    Oh No! 🤦🏻‍♀️ A holiday…
    Also, wasn't it just established that no one needs to "press charges", if theres obvious evidence for the crime? Like a video?
    So why aren't there charges for the crime comitted on camera 🤷🏻‍♀️

47. I disagree. It’s required he lose his job. Tell me one other job where you can punch customers or coworkers and still be employed. He acted as a police officer so he can pay the price. Police have to have the communities trust and respect and this guy, especially in this day and age, failed horribly.

48. Yeah, I disagree on whether or not he should keep his job. Under the color of law, he assaulted someone. How can you ever trust him again to handle situations safely in the future? Also, it’s assault. It’s a literal crime. How is he not charged with a crime?

49. I'm a retired California cop. I preach to those that will listen how pride is a career ender. Cops are just government employees. Nothing more. You will get into trouble when you think you are something more. My department would have fired him.

Comments are closed.