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Birmingham Police Beating: 5 Cops Fired

Posted 48 months ago|5 comments|3,435 views

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birmingham police beating , birmingham police , birmingham news , beating video , police brutality

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Written by

Chris D
Seattle, WA

Five Birmingham, Alabama, police officers have been fired for beating an unconscious man while a police car camera caught it all on film.

The January 2008 “Birmingham beating” video shows the five cops striking the suspect with fists, feet, and a billy club – this is after he’s crashed his van and flipped out of the window. The video continues for approximately 15 seconds until a police officer turns off the recording.

The suspect, Anthony Warren, had led police on a 22-minute car chase after they tried to question him about suspicious behavior. Warren has several felony arrests and convictions on his record, including theft, receiving stolen property, and escape.

The beating video had been seen by various Birmingham police officers and as many as six supervisors in the last year, but the top police brass didn’t know that the beating had occurred until two months ago.

In fact, the man in the video – Anthony Warren – didn't even know he'd been beaten until the tape was shown at his trial in March 2009. Warren was unconscious for the beating and believed that all of his injuries were sustained in the car accident.

Of course, Warren sued the city of Birmingham – citing internal bleeding, broken bones, bruising, permanent injury, and mental anguish. He was convicted of assault in March 2009 and was sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Sounds like quite a bad day in Birmingham.

(H/T to The Birmingham News)

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phatdaddy

48 months ago: It's a shame that you didn't bother to show the part of the video where Mr. Warren intentionally ran down a police officer who was trying to lay spike strips, or bother mentioning it. Not that it excuses the behavior of the officers involved, but it does make it understandable. I'd imagine the whole story just wasn't convenient enough for you.

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john ainley

48 months ago: phat, i understand your point, but as a police officer, what the offender did has no excuse and he will spend the next 20 years in jail, he is a criminal, he doesnt know any better, but we are paid to know better then that, those officers failed in every aspect, what they did deserves jail time also. Its gives us good cops a bad name, their actions were no better then the offender.

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tully230
Childersburg, AL

48 months ago: Went on a high speed chase for 22 minutes. I am a cop and I understand being geared up.
What I saw was a man who endangered countless civilians, law enforcement, and running over one cop. What I also saw was the officers applying the force they thought was neccessary to end this incident.
The first two oficers that got to the man fell, they did not jump on Mr. Warren. They stopped when they realized that he was knocked out in the wreck.
For all you people screaming about the police and the brutality we use, how 'bout this. There are parts of our job that no-one will ever understand. Hop in the car with a cop for a civilian ride along and see what he puts up with protecting everything that you value. If you can't see yourself doing that or you don't have the balls for it. SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET US KEEP YOUR DUMBASS SAFE AT NIGHT.

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Rainylanealone
Bastrop, LA

42 months ago: I have been an innocent victim of favortism shown to officers from other officers so I disagree with these comments. You are trained to act without anger and keep a level head regardless of the situation. This video shows obvious excessive force. What happened PRIOR is Prior and was no reason for the excessive force shown here. I am sure it's hard to keep from ripping a child molester's face off or beating the **** out of someone that just beat a kid to death but you have to, that is your job. I don't know if I could do it myself. My vehicle was recently struck by an off duty Louisiana State Trooper that ran a red light and was speeding in an unmarked car and his buddies covered his **** so I must admit my own prejudice against police officers and their abuse of power. All are not bad though because I have family in the force and my husband, who was severly injured in the crash, is the grandson of a long time State Trooper who has now passed. Some is true and some are not. You are obviously going to defend the ones with the badge and little people are obviously going to defend little people.

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peoplesrepublic
Hubbard, OH

32 months ago: As a cop I get geared up daily and can't wait for my next high speed chase. One day a speeder had it pegged 32 in a 25 school zone. Man did the adrenaline pump me up. By the time I caught up with him I was doing 95 and caught up to him at the end of the block. With my lights on and sirens blaring I skidded sideways to a stop right in front of a school bus unloading a bunch of kids, shaving the slide so close I clipped the 'stop' sign off the bus. But man did I make that law-breaker pay with a baton to the face and a kick to the groin. He could have killed one of them kids. You don't know what its like to be me an officer sworn to uphold the law at any cost. I'm right and you are wrong! Even my chief will back me on that one.

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