A handful of Pennsylvania State officers are under fire this month as
attorneys review video showing arrestee Robert Leone being beaten to a
bloody pulp.
Leone, 33, filed a federal lawsuit against cops after the March 2010 arrest, when he alleged that he was Tasered, hog-tied and assaulted after a low-speed car chase, the Daily News reported.
A 75-minute video of the incident (clip below) went viral on YouTube
after it was released last month. The footage, taken from a dashboard
camera in one of the police cruisers, appears to show an officer jumping from the top of Leone's car onto his back, while others give him a barrage of feet and fists, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin.
Further audio recording reveals one of the officers screaming at Leone in a profanity-laced outburst.
"Who do you think you're messing with?" One officer says in the
video. "We're the Pennsylvania State Police ... it's not just some
chumps."
The angered cop accuses a sobbing Leone of spitting on him.
The lawsuit alleges that Leone -- who already had "a swollen eye,
lacerated wrists, multiple Taser marks, dried blood around his nostrils
and bruises on multiple locations of his body" -- was further attacked
and Tasered while lying on a hospital gurney later in the evening.
One officer also reportedly broke his hand on the back of Leone's head, and was taken from the scene by an ambulance that was supposed to pick up the battered Leone, WBNG reported.
Leone was convicted in August 2010 of assault on an officer and three
other charges stemming from the incident. Prosecutors said he was
carrying the prescription drug Adderall in his car at the time of his
arrest.
He was granted parole in March, but is still in prison because there's no agreement on where he'd stay if released.
WBNG reports that Leone's family
believes authorities want to keep their son imprisoned for the maximum
four years so that the statute of limitations against the troopers
involved runs out and they won't face punishment.
Citing the pending litigation, Maria Finn, Spokesperson for the
Pennsylvania State Police refused to answer any questions from The
Huffington Post on the case, including whether any of the officers
involved will face criminal charges or if any of them are still on duty.
She also declined to address the accusation that authorities want to
keep Leone in jail so that the troopers won't be sanctioned.
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