(Video) - Did Drexel police use excessive force pinning a suspect with their cruiser?

[aGameOfThrones]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/drexel-pd-walter-johnson.jpg


Last December, Drexel University Police were attempting to apprehend Walter Johnson, who was was suspected of trying to burglarize local buildings. When the authorities tried to detain Johnson, he fled. And whether it was intentional or not, the pursuit of ended in a dramatic show of force when police pinned Johnson to a wall with their police cruiser. The whole incident was captured on video, and almost a year later, the case is back in the news due to a new parole hearing for Johnson and a lawsuit being brought up against the Philadelphia-area university.

Johnson, who had left a halfway house without permission, was spotted by security cameras attempting to enter several buildings, and when police approached him, he took off running. It's not known how long police were chasing him, but it was all over after he was hit by a Ford Explorer police vehicle and rammed into a building. The force of the impact was enough to crumple the front end of the SUV and shatter Johnson's pelvis and leg. Johnson later told police that he was looking for a restroom, but police said that he and another man he was with were both carrying screwdrivers.

According to a report by WPVI ABC6, Philadelphia's district attorney has dropped the charges against Johnson, but he has remained in prison since the incident for violating his parole. The university itself is declining to comment due to the pending lawsuit, but that isn't stopping critics from accusing the police of using excessive force to capture Johnson.

Video in link: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/19/did-drexel-police-use-excessive-force-pinning-a-suspect-with-the/

[Origanalist]

Oww! That hurt just watching that.

From the comments;

Matt McKinley
i applaud that officer for his valiant work in apprehending that piece of **** criminal. darn, did a bad guy get hurt trying to run from the cops? wah! too bad. if you ddn't do anything wrong, then why are you running from police? and who the hell just happens to have a giant screwdriver on them? he was using it to fix things around campus right? bullshit.
36 minutes ago

That rant speaks for itself, somebody tell me again why we have the police state......how can anybody possibly call that "valiant"?

[kathy88]

Oww! That hurt just watching that.

From the comments;

Matt McKinley
i applaud that officer for his valiant work in apprehending that piece of **** criminal. darn, did a bad guy get hurt trying to run from the cops? wah! too bad. if you ddn't do anything wrong, then why are you running from police? and who the hell just happens to have a giant screwdriver on them? he was using it to fix things around campus right? bullshit.
36 minutes ago

That rant speaks for itself, somebody tell me again why we have the police state......how can anybody possibly call that "valiant"?

The same people who think drone operators are heros.

[youngbuck]

Oww! That hurt just watching that.

From the comments;

Matt McKinley
i applaud that officer for his valiant work in apprehending that piece of **** criminal. darn, did a bad guy get hurt trying to run from the cops? wah! too bad. if you ddn't do anything wrong, then why are you running from police? and who the hell just happens to have a giant screwdriver on them? he was using it to fix things around campus right? bullshit.
36 minutes ago

That rant speaks for itself, somebody tell me again why we have the police state......how can anybody possibly call that "valiant"?

That's seems to be the dominant mindset in online comment sections. These are the same people who think we need more cops, that support the drug war, and probably support all the illegals oversees wars. They won't wake up unless they are harshly at the receiving end of cops and the just-us system, and even then it's iffy. I don't know where this mindset comes from. Even through my indoctrination in public schools, and all the BS that was fed to me, I don't really remember anything that would instill this type of pitiful and delusional thinking.

[ninepointfive]

ohh damn - that's potential homicide right there

[tod evans]

I don't need to watch the video.

A burglary suspect got crushed between a cop car and a wall on purpose.

For Pete's sake!

http://www.twowheelforum.com/images/smilies/hang.gif Get a rope! :mad:

[AGRP]

Did Drexel University police use excessive force in ramming Walter Johnson with the police vehicle?

What kind of question is that? They mean is it excessive force to commit attempted vehicular homicide?

[ninepointfive]

What kind of question is that? They mean is it excessive force to commit attempted vehicular homicide?

no kidding - the hood even buckled up

[phill4paul]

What kind of question is that? They mean is it excessive force to commit attempted vehicular homicide?

That is a charged only issued against Mundanes. These valiant heroes cannot be constrained by such laws if they are to keep us safe.

[brandon]

I have trouble feeling sympathy for this guy. If someone was trying to break into houses in my neighborhood and then fled the police, I'd want the police to do what they had to do to get him.

[dillo]

I have trouble feeling sympathy for this guy. If someone was trying to break into houses in my neighborhood and then fled the police, I'd want the police to do what they had to do to get him.

So you support the NDAA then?

[Origanalist]

I have trouble feeling sympathy for this guy. If someone was trying to break into houses in my neighborhood and then fled the police, I'd want the police to do what they had to do to get him.

What they DIDN"T have to do was try to kill him. I have no sympathy for theives but you're innocent until proven guilty right? Ramming somebody into a wall with your vehicle seems clearly to be excessive.

[brandon]

What they DIDN"T have to do was try to kill him. I have no sympathy for theives but you're innocent until proven guilty right? Ramming somebody into a wall with your vehicle seems clearly to be excessive.

I agree. I don't think it's black and white though... I mean there has to be a gradient here. What if the cop just watched him shoot 10 people and then run away? Would the cops actions be acceptable then? He would still be innocent until proven guilty, but I think most people would agree the cop did the right thing in that case.

In this case, yea the cop over reacted. But I'm not going to go out of my way to stand up for someone on parole trying to break into buildings.

[Origanalist]

I agree. I don't think it's black and white though... I mean there has to be a gradient here. What if the cop just watched him shoot 10 people and then run away? Would the cops actions be acceptable then? He would still be innocent until proven guilty, but I think most people would agree the cop did the right thing in that case.

In this case, yea the cop over reacted. But I'm not going to go out of my way to stand up for someone on parole trying to break into buildings.

Ok, I can't argue with your hypothetical but that's not what happened. And it's a common occurrence now that police are over militarized and use excessive force.

[jmdrake]

Just when I thought I'd seen it all.

Edit: He's lucky he didn't get charged with vandalism to a police vehicle. /sarcasm

[AGRP]

I agree. I don't think it's black and white though... I mean there has to be a gradient here. What if the cop just watched him shoot 10 people and then run away? Would the cops actions be acceptable then? He would still be innocent until proven guilty, but I think most people would agree the cop did the right thing in that case.

In this case, yea the cop over reacted. But I'm not going to go out of my way to stand up for someone on parole trying to break into buildings.

Is it possible to strive for a virtuous society when those who claim to be responsible for striving for it use wicked means?

[Occam's Banana]

I have trouble feeling sympathy for this guy. If someone was trying to break into houses in my neighborhood and then fled the police, I'd want the police to do what they had to do to get him.

So I guess that shoot-em-up in NYC a while back is just fine by you? (What was it, nine innocent bystanders injured, all of them by cops?)

But, hey, the cops were just doing "what they had to do" to get their guy, right?

[Origanalist]

Just when I thought I'd seen it all.

Edit: He's lucky he didn't get charged with vandalism to a police vehicle. /sarcasm

Not yet.

[specsaregood]

I have trouble feeling sympathy for this guy. If someone was trying to break into houses in my neighborhood and then fled the police, I'd want the police to do what they had to do to get him.

I feel the same about people that walk to my nearest 711 while drunk.

[Origanalist]

I feel the same about people that walk to my nearest 711 while drunk.

:confused:

[PaulConventionWV]

I agree. I don't think it's black and white though... I mean there has to be a gradient here. What if the cop just watched him shoot 10 people and then run away? Would the cops actions be acceptable then? He would still be innocent until proven guilty, but I think most people would agree the cop did the right thing in that case.

In this case, yea the cop over reacted. But I'm not going to go out of my way to stand up for someone on parole trying to break into buildings.

He didn't shoot ten people, though. There was no reason to even suspect he was armed at the moment. According to the law, that's not justified. There's your black and white.

[presence]

I agree. I don't think it's black and white though... I mean there has to be a gradient here. What if the cop just watched him shoot 10 people and then run away? Would the cops actions be acceptable then? He would still be innocent until proven guilty, but I think most people would agree the cop did the right thing in that case.


Right, because he would be armed, dangerous, and fleeing a murder scene. This guy had a screwdriver and hadn't threatened anyone as far as I've read, nor did I read about him actually stealing or burglarizing anything, simply "suspected" of possibly, couldhavebeen, supposedly trying to. What was stolen? What premises were breached or damaged? I didn't see anything about any of that.

Look! There's that guy with the screwdriver that that dude said looked suspicious: Ramming speed!