Video was released late last week of an innocent man being slammed
head first into a wall by a Seattle police officer, in an exchange
that has left the victim in a coma.
29-year-old Christopher Harris was left in a critical
condition after a sheriff's deputy twice his size forcibly rammed
him, sending him flying against the side of a building.
The footage shows Mr Harris's head thrown forward
sharply as his body slams against the pavement.
Mr Harris had been pursued by deputies after a
witness wrongly identified him as a suspect in an assault, reported
AP.
A lawyer for the family of Mr Harris has said
the video and witness accounts show that he was a victim of
excessive force by Deputy Matthew Paul, aged 26.
"We believe the actions of Deputy Paul were,
at best, horribly brutal and, at worst, criminal,” said
attorney Sim Osborn. He added that he has no reason to believe
the deputies did not immediately identify themselves.
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The King County sheriff's department has defended
the officer's actions, adding that the officer "did not
violate policy".
"The bottom line is we don't know why he
ran,” said
Sgt. John Urquhart, adding that there was probable
cause to arrest Mr Harris and calling the incident a "tragic
accident".
This is just a guess, but perhaps the fact that
Harris was faced with a charging man built like a brick outhouse
about to body slam him into the end of next week caused him
to be somewhat afraid and to run?
Harris’ family has asked for an independent
investigation by the Washington State Patrol.
Watch the raw video and a KOMO 4 news report on
the incident below:
Video was released late last week of an innocent man being slammed
head first into a wall by a Seattle police officer, in an exchange
that has left the victim in a coma.
