L.A. Police Investigate Videotaped Beating of Teen
CONNIE CHUNG, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Connie Chung. Tonight, was it police brutality? We'll talk to the mayor and the sheriff's department.</s>ANNOUNCER: Resisting arrest or excessive force? You've seen the video. You've heard the story.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sheriff grabbed him by the throat and held him while the Inglewood Police Department, four officers, took turns beating him in the face.</s>ANNOUNCER: But is there more to it?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my city, this type of conduct will not...</s>ANNOUNCER: Who's telling the truth? Tonight, victims of corporate greed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: White collar crimes need to be taken just as seriously as other crimes, like robbery.</s>ANNOUNCER: The real people who lost real money. They worked for WorldCom and Enron. And now they face the fallout of corporate fraud. A Hollywood survivor, she was bigger than life as "Star Wars" Princess Leia. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "STAR WARS") CARRIE FISHER, ACTRESS: Somebody has to save us, kid.</s>ANNOUNCER: But behind the screen, battled addiction and fought manic depression.</s>CHUNG: You have said you are mentally ill.</s>FISHER: I have?</s>CHUNG: Yes.</s>FISHER: That must be so difficult for me sometimes.</s>ANNOUNCER: Now Carrie Fisher is back on screen. Tonight, her comeback and her newfound peace. This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, Connie Chung.</s>CHUNG: Good evening. Tonight, the FBI, Los Angeles County, the city of Inglewood and the county sheriff are all investigating the incident. Videotapes this weekend in which a developmentally disabled teen was slammed against a police car and punched in the face. The mayor has called for the officer to be fired. We'll talk to the mayor in just a moment. And we will hear from the sheriff's department too. But first, on the story for us tonight is CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.</s>UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!</s>THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At city hall in Inglewood, California...</s>UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: No justice, no peace!</s>GUTIERREZ: ... dozens of protesters stood together. They held signs and screamed for justice.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are outraged! We are mad and we are outraged at the behavior of this department!</s>GUTIERREZ: Their anger, the result of this.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, you guys, do not resist them.</s>GUTIERREZ: A videotape showing 16-year-old Donovan Chavis, a special education student in handcuffs, being slammed on a car and hit on the face by an Inglewood police officer identified as Jeremy Morse, a three-year veteran of the force.</s>ROOSEVELT DORN, MAYOR, INGLEWOOD: I have had an opportunity to review the tape. I have studied it over and over. There isn't any question in my mind what occurred.</s>GUTIERREZ: Inglewood City Mayor Roosevelt Dorn told protesters the officer, now on paid administrative leave, committed a crime and should be fired regardless of how the altercation began.</s>DORN: As far as I am concerned, there is nothing that could have occurred prior to the videotape being turned on that would justify...</s>GUTIERREZ: Four Inglewood police officers and two Los Angeles County sheriff's dep...</s>CHUNG: Thelma, have police been able to question other witnesses at the gas station?</s>GUTIERREZ: Well, that is a good question. It is clear from the tape that there were many other witnesses. There were witnesses at the gas station who were actually watching this incident occur. There were witnesses at the hotel. And you can actually hear their voices on that videotape. Police aren't saying to us who they've talked to, how many witnesses they have. They've not released any details about the investigation. But, again, it's clear from all those people on that tape, all of the people that we could hear, the people that we could see, that there were witnesses. We just don't know whether or not they've talked to police at this point.</s>CHUNG: Thelma, I know there is so much concern about racial tension. What is the racial makeup in Inglewood?</s>GUTIERREZ: Well, according to the 2000 Census, the racial makeup here in the city of Inglewood, 47 percent African-American, 19 percent white, nine percent Native American, and one percent Asian. Again, though, Connie, you know, just from talking to some of the people out here today, they say that they're just upset at what they saw at the video, not much having to do with race in terms of a white person or Asian person, getting upset at the fact that, you know, it was a black teenager and white officer, but that it was just wrong, period.</s>CHUNG: All right. Thank you, Thelma Gutierrez in Los Angeles. Among the several agencies investigating this incident are the city of Inglewood itself and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. We are joined now by Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn and a spokesman from the sheriff's office, Lieutenant Carl Deeley. Thank you both for being with us tonight.</s>LT. CARL DEELEY, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: Good evening.</s>CHUNG: Good evening. Lieutenant Deeley, can you tell me, have you -- your department, has your department been able to question the officers who were there and gotten their version of what happened?</s>DEELEY: That is going to be part of the investigation is interviews. They were interviewed that night. There will be further interviews that go on throughout the investigation.</s>CHUNG: Well, can you tell me what...</s>DEELEY: And, of course, we are trying to track down all the witnesses.</s>CHUNG: What do they tell you is the truth? What do you know to be the truth?</s>DEELEY: Well, unfortunately, I'd love to be able to give you that information, but state law has really strict guidelines regarding personnel investigations involving police officers. Until the investigation is completed, we will be kept from giving out too much information until the investigation is actually completed.</s>CHUNG: All right. Lieutenant Deeley, I'll get back to you in just a moment. Don't go away. Mayor Dorn, can you hear me? Mayor Dorn, can you hear me?</s>DORN: Yes, I can.</s>CHUNG: OK.</s>DORN: Yes, I can.</s>CHUNG: Have you been able to determine what happened before the videotape started rolling?</s>DORN: No. I have not been able to determine that. I have asked for witnesses that may have been present to come forward with information. Clearly, police officers have their version. Clearly, the father and son have their version. What I am concerned about is those independent witnesses that I know that were there that observed what happened before the camera was turned on. But, you see, my position is clear on this. I don't care what happened prior to the videotape being turned on. There is nothing that could have happened that this young man could have done that would justify the conduct of the officer in regard to this young man.</s>CHUNG: You're talking about officer Jeremy Morse? You're talking about that specific officer?</s>DORN: Yes. You don't become -- yes, that's exactly who I'm referring to. You don't become angry and take a teenager and slam his head into a car, and then punch this youngster, when he really appeared to be almost out when he picked him up. So there is no justification for that.</s>CHUNG: As far as you're concerned, Mayor Dorn, this officer should be fired? You stand by your statement?</s>DORN: Based upon the information that I observed on the videotape, there isn't any question as to the fact that this officer committed crimes. And as a police officer, if you commit crimes, you should be removed from the force.</s>CHUNG: Mr. Mayor, there is a video -- the videotape that all of us have seen, and we are going to show our viewers a tighter, closer shot of officer Jeremy Morse. He does have a laceration on his face. Do you have any idea and would it make any difference to you if you knew how he got that laceration?</s>DORN: It would not make any difference if the minor hit him in the face, if the minor cut him in the face. It would make no difference because the minor, at the time that the video was picked up, the minor is subdued. He's handcuffed. He is not a threat to anyone. When he picked him up, he should have taken him to the car, not slam his head into the hood of that car.</s>CHUNG: Have you been able to determine what is on the surveillance tape at the gas station and mini-mart?</s>DORN: No, I have not. As I've indicated, the investigation is ongoing. The only thing that I am keyed in on now is the videotape.</s>CHUNG: All right.</s>DORN: Let's face it. What type of scenario can you think of that would justify an officer taking a teenager that has been subdued and is in handcuffs, and is not causing a threat to anyone, but to then take that teenager and slam that teenager's head into the hood of a car?</s>CHUNG: Mayor Dorn...</s>DORN: Can you think of any justification for it?</s>CHUNG: Mayor Dorn, I'm going to turn to...</s>DORN: Yes.</s>CHUNG: ... Lt. Deeley. I know it is some part of a rhetorical question, but I won't answer it. Let me turn to Lt. Deeley, but don't go away, Mr. Mayor. Have you, Lt. Deeley, been able to determine what is on the surveillance tape that was in the gas station at the mini- mart?</s>DEELEY: We have obtained the surveillance tape from the mini- mart, and because of the way the tape is set up, it has multiple pictures at the same time. It has been sent to our crime lab to be able to make it a little clearer, enhance the picture. And they're working with the photographs from that surveillance tape, and hopefully it will add some information, especially the timeline before the videotape that everyone has seen across the media, what happened up before that time, because there has been quite a few charges leveled that will probably be cleared up by that part of the videotape.</s>CHUNG: Is there a clear picture of the incident from the surveillance tape?</s>DEELEY: We hope there will be. Again, they're going to have to enhance it a little bit and nail it down from -- like I said, I believe there is ten pictures going on at the same time. They will have to narrow it down to the area in question. It won't be a full view with everything that went on, but hopefully it will provide some information we don't have already.</s>CHUNG: Lt. Deeley, have your officers -- the two who were from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, have they described how Officer Morse was injured?</s>DEELEY: Well, what happened originally was the juvenile attacked our deputy, which started the scuffle in the first place. When the deputy was trying to place him in the back seat of the radio car, because he would not stop interfering with the traffic stop involving his father, when the deputy walked him back to the back seat of his radio car, he had seemed to have calmed down a little bit. The deputy let go of him to put him in the back seat, and the young man lunged at the deputy, who then had to grab him, and they struggled with each other, went to the ground, and that is when the Inglewood officers came to his aid, to help him to handcuff the 16-year-old.</s>CHUNG: I see. So clearly...</s>DEELEY: And then, during this...</s>CHUNG: Go ahead.</s>DEELEY: I'm sorry. And then sometime during that scuffle, the officer got several wounds, one to his face, his head, his chest, and I believe on his arm.</s>CHUNG: You're talking about Officer -- the Inglewood officer, Mr. Morse, are you not? You're not talking about your sheriff's deputy?</s>DEELEY: No. That was Officer Morse. Our deputy ended up injuring his back, and he also ended up having a sprained wrist.</s>CHUNG: All right. Thank you so much, Mayor Dorn, Lt. Deeley, we appreciate your being with us. While there is already talk about what charges can or should be filed, in reality, the investigations have just begun, and the facts of the case remain less than clear. Joining us now to walk us through the process is CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin -- Jeffrey, thank you.</s>JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, Connie.</s>CHUNG: What are we dealing with here? Because I'm wondering -- certainly, with the Rodney King incident, you have a videotape. It shows, you know, some very specific acts. But, does that matter?</s>TOOBIN: It certainly matters a great deal, and it's obviously an extremely important piece of evidence. But, you know, much as we all have to cringe as we see that awful sight of the kid being slammed into the car, that is really only the beginning of the investigation. It's not the end, and these cases tend to get more complicated over time. Remember, you have the question of what happened first. You also have several officers involved. It's far from clear how many of them are involved in any abusive conduct, if any. So there are a lot of unanswered questions. It's important to take it step-by-step. This clearly is being investigated, but this case is by no means over.</s>CHUNG: Well, is it a matter of he says, and then they say?</s>TOOBIN: What often turns out to be the case when you have a videotape is that defense attorneys, if, say, Officer Morse is charged, they take the video almost frame-by-frame and try to explain the officer's action. This is what happened in the Rodney King case. Remember...</s>CHUNG: Yes, I remember.</s>TOOBIN: ... when that case broke, and the video came out, everyone said, well, obviously, these cops are all guilty. Now, the trial was moved from Los Angeles to a mostly white area in Simi Valley, and ultimately the officers were acquitted. But the way the officers were acquitted was they -- instead of from running from the tape, they sort of embraced the tape, and they said, OK, let's look at this second by second, and see the decisions that each officer made, in the context of what Rodney King himself was doing. That is how these cases are generally defended. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But just a quick look at the videotape is no way to answer -- that you know, whether he's guilty -- for all time.</s>CHUNG: And just to review in the Rodney King case, they were acquitted in the criminal trial?</s>TOOBIN: They were acquitted in the state criminal trial. What happened -- and then, there were, of course, there were the terrible riots. Then the federal government tried them for violating Rodney King's federal civil rights. That was also a criminal case, but a federal case, and then they were convicted.</s>CHUNG: And finally, very quickly, what about the prosecution? What onus sits on the prosecution when it presents its case?</s>TOOBIN: Well, you know, jurors, especially in white areas, like white cops. They view them as sympathetic, and they are -- they are going to have to prove that the video is exactly what is says, abuse of a cop -- of a citizen.</s>CHUNG: Of a young man, a teenager. Thank you, Jeffrey Toobin. Appreciate it.</s>TOOBIN: OK, Connie.</s>CHUNG: When we return, the crackdown on corporate greed. Who better to tell us what to do to protect our money than Lou Dobbs.</s>ANNOUNCER: Next: voices of anger...</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If the real reform doesn't happen, I'll never be able to believe in a large corporation again.</s>ANNOUNCER: ... and frustration.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We worked hard for a big company that said it was an innovative leader, and promised tremendous growth. Instead, we lost everything.</s>ANNOUNCER: They lost their money, and now, want corporate America to pay. CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will be right back.