LV Metro officer beats down man in his own driveway for videoing

Just.... wow.

When Mitchell Crooks checked out of the county jail last month and checked into a Las Vegas hospital, the 36-year-old videographer knew he had a fight on his hands.

His face was bloodied and bruised. His $3,500 camera had been impounded by police, and he faced criminal charges for battery on a police officer.

One month later, things have changed for Crooks.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/exclusive-police-beating-of-las-vegas-man-caught-on-tape-120509439.html

KBCraig said:

Just.... wow.

When Mitchell Crooks checked out of the county jail last month and checked into a Las Vegas hospital, the 36-year-old videographer knew he had a fight on his hands.

His face was bloodied and bruised. His $3,500 camera had been impounded by police, and he faced criminal charges for battery on a police officer.

One month later, things have changed for Crooks.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/exclusive-police-beating-of-las-vegas-man-caught-on-tape-120509439.html

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All I can say is WOW! That moron of a cop needs to go to jail for assault and battery, obstructing a citizen in his duty of making sure the cop is doing things legally, among other charges!

I know Crooks made a mistake by telling the cop that he did not live there in the first place but that did not give the cop RAS or PC that he was doing thing wrong, he could have been visiting a friend!

I hope Crooks gets the $500,000, and I hope the cop gets fired and charged!

If I wasn't so effing angry, I would cry.

We always hear how the majority of police never fire their guns in the line of duty (and it's true). In just 5-1/2 years with LV Metro, Collings has already shot and killed two people.

KBCraig said:

We always hear how the majority of police never fire their guns in the line of duty (and it's true). In just 5-1/2 years with LV Metro, Collings has already shot and killed two people.

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Yeah one a 16 year old kid with mental issues, Its sad Robin47

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent said he dismissed the charges because the police report was vague.

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way to cover your tracks there. dismiss the charges because of incomplete information, not because the officer assaulted a citizen, destroyed evidence, falsified a report, and all under color of law.

I've been wondering. If he would have said "yes" at the beginning that it was his house. Then as soon as the cop started to walk up his driveway told him that HE(the cop) was trespassing and he needed to remove himself from his property. What would have happened.

Wow. That was sickening. This cop should be put on display in the town center and pelted with rotten fruit. While I agree with John-in-Reno that he should be compensated it is however unfortunate that we the people will foot the bill. What is almost as sickening is the other officers there allowed this to happen and then did not report it.

I cannot even attempt to grasp the mind set of somebody who will beat the crap out of someone else who is basically minding there own business. How do these people get hired? Even if they fell through the cracks in the hiring process how do they maintain their employment after a couple shootings and the therapy they receive afterwards? Just sick.

This story makes me think that I got away lucky from my Metro/camera ordeal.

MPlannette said:

This story makes me think that I got away lucky from my Metro/camera ordeal.

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You had a couple hundred people around. He had no one. Somehow I get the feeling they might have tried to erase it. Not knowing that the info can be recovered as long as the file has not been written over.

I could comment on this but it would be disrespectful to LEO's who actually show some respect for the public. Because of them, im not going to say anything. Im sure everyone already knows just how I feel about this kind of conduct.

What I will say, is if you are by yourself just humor the police. One on One rights arguments with someone who acts like that will not end well for anybody.
I really, really hope that guy gets what he's got coming to him!

That article was crazy. We need less ******* cops and more personal responsibility. We all know that LVMP likes to fly off the handle and write their own "laws". What a joke.

GoDSpeeD

If I was a cop I would probably get fired within a matter of days. If I was observing (let's pretend I'm a cop) that situation I would of pulled that officer off of that innocent person, put him in handcuffs and charged him with assault and battery among whatever else he did wrong, and if he tried to resist me (he probably would, because he's a cop, and cops are untouchable, right?) then I would of added resisting arrest and assault on a police officer to his charges.

As for that man, I hope he gets his money and the officer gets stripped of his job and charged accordingly.

+100000000 to Patirot2A. People always say that not all cops are bad but then why don't we hear of cops stepping in when a "bad" cop goes rogue???

Patriot2A said:

If I was a cop I would probably get fired within a matter of days. If I was observing (let's pretend I'm a cop) that situation I would of pulled that officer off of that innocent person, put him in handcuffs and charged him with assault and battery among whatever else he did wrong, and if he tried to resist me (he probably would, because he's a cop, and cops are untouchable, right?) then I would of added resisting arrest and assault on a police officer to his charges.

As for that man, I hope he gets his money and the officer gets stripped of his job and charged accordingly.

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I agree that Crooks wins his lawsuit.

I wouldn't say that you would be fired, but you would definitely get hurt at some point. If you did that, your fellow officers will not show up to help you when you need it.

vegasche1023 said:

+100000000 to Patirot2A. People always say that not all cops are bad but then why don't we hear of cops stepping in when a "bad" cop goes rogue???

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You hit the nail on the head. The ones who stand around or assist the pos thug are just as guilty. Serpicos are few and far between. This scumbag needs to not just lose his job but go to jail. Real hero. Murders a 16 year old, but of course it was 'justified.' And the "unidentified" ************ who was there is just as guilty. 18 USC 242:

Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

I was pretty appalled by the behaviour...

I don't recall anything being said about other officers being present at the time of this encounter though...generall guys like this don't like to show their colors in front of other officers. I have a feeling he waited till any other cars drove away, it seems like the situation by this point had been dealt with, then he chose to bare his ignorance.

He should be fired...period...and the citizen should be compensated not by the people or the police force but by this bad cop, he should be paying for the rest of his life.

I can't speak for the situations where he fired his gun...they could very well have been justified. From the sounds of the two time listed, most of us would have felt justified in taking the shot. Regardless of his past, his present is uncalled for and should be dealt with quickly and firmly.