Ex Detroit Cop Found Guilty
Officers caught on dashboard cam brutally beating man and repeatedly using stun gun after he was stopped for traffic violation(and lawyer claims one planted drugs in his car)
- Floyd Dent, 57, was pulled over after police claimed he ignored a stop sign in Inkster, Michigan in January
- In dashcam video, police can then be seen ripping him out of his car, throwing him on the ground and then putting him in a chokehold
- The man is then punched 16 times, kicked, and an officer uses a stun gun on him three times before he is cuffed
- Officers claim he bit one of them on the arm and screamed at one point 'I'll kill you,' though there is no evidence for either claim
- Police said he was trying to flee the scene and resist arrest, but a judge threw out both of these charges
- They also say they found drugs in his car, but his attorney says a new video shows one of the officers planting the bag of crack cocaine
- That officer, William Melendez, was accused in 2004 of lying, falsifying reports and planting evidence but ultimately acquitted
A Michigan man is speaking out against police officers he claim not only used excessive force on him during a traffic stop but also planted drugs in his car.
Floyd Dent was pulled over in Inkster in January after rolling through a stop sign, at which point police ripped him out of his car, threw him to the group, put him in a choke hold, punched him 16 times, kicked him, stun gunned him three times and then handcuffed him, claiming they then found drugs in his car.
Dent, 57, who has no previous arrests and was unarmed at the time, spent three days in the hospital with broken ribs, blood on his brain and other injuries.
He also claims that he tested negative for drugs while at the hospital.
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Floyd Dent, 57, was pulled over after police claimed he ignored a stop sign in Inkster, Michigan in January
In dashcam video, police can then be seen ripping him out of his car, throwing him on the ground and then putting him in a chokehold
The man is then punched 16 times, kicked, and an officer uses a stun gun on him three times before he is cuffed
Officers claim he bit one of them on the arm and screamed at one point 'I'll kill you,' though there is no evidence for either claim
Now, Dent's lawyer, Greg Rohl, is saying that a previously unseen video from the scene shows the officer, William Melendez, removing a small plastic bag from his pocket that he claims to be the drugs that were planted in the car.
That video has since been obtained by WDIV.
Police meanwhile claim that Dent had been resisting arrest after ignoring the traffic sign, and that he bit Melendez at one point.
They also claim he failed to stop for them and tried to escape, and that he appeared to be searching for a weapon as he told police 'I'll kill you.'
The claims Dent was trying to flee were thrown out by a judge while Inkster Police Chief Vicki Yost said that the entire incident is under investigation and one of the officers has been placed on administrative duty.
Dent is still facing charges for drug possession and was driving with a suspended license.
Melendez says that Dent pulled into a hotel where drugs are known to be sold shortly before they pulled him over, walked into one of the rooms, and left a short time later.
Police said he was trying to flee the scene and resist arrest, but a judge threw out both of these charges
They also say he had been at a location where drugs are known to be sold prior to his arrest
They say they found drugs in his car, but his attorney says a new video shows one of the officers planting the bag of crack cocaine
In 2004, Melendez and seven other Detroit officers were acquitted of lying, falsifying reports and planting evidence. Federal prosecutors had accused him and another officer of being the 'masterminds' of a conspiracy to 'run roughshod over the civil rights of the victims.'
Dent claims he has been unable to work since the incident, and that he now suffers from frequent nightmares.
His lawyer says he will be meeting with police in April to discuss a settlement, and has not yet ruled out filing a civil rights lawsuit.
The incident has also led to protests, with Rev. Charles Williams II and about 50 protesters marching on the police department in Inkster on Wednesday
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