Brickbat: No Keys? No Problem.

Raul Ortiz and his mother have sued the Elyria, Ohio, police department and three officers after they entered his home without a warrant and tased and arrested him. Ortiz's ex-girlfriend had contacted police and told them she previously lived at his house and wanted to retrieve her belongings. When they met her there, Ortiz refused to allow them in. (The landlord later confirmed she had turned in her keys and was no longer a resident.) One of the officers encouraged the ex to kick in the door, and they all rushed in. Ortiz demanded to know why they had kicked in the door, which led to a struggle in which one of the officers used a Taser on his bare stomach as he protested that he had a pacemaker. Police charged Ortiz with five felonies, including three counts of assaulting an officer, and his mother with felony obstruction for demanding to know why her son was being arrested. Prosecutors dropped all charges, but only after Ortiz had spent nine days in jail.

Comments

[Chumby]

This same police department reportedly raided a home not connected with the wanted person and had flashbang grenade injured a special needs toddler during their entry:
https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/lorain-county/elyria-bodycam-video-controversial-police-raid/95-6c77f15d-ceea-4e7f-9d57-16f6bedfb296

With top cop Biden and top prosecutor Garland going after Trump documents guns a blazing with the thugified FBI, not shocked with the trickle down effect.

[MrMxyzptlk]

You can't have a police state without police.

[Chumby]

Good morning sarc.

[Jerry B.]

Surprised the cops didn’t arrest the ex for breaking and entering as well. She should have known that their encouragement to break down the door was illegal.

[Brandybuck]

The Facebook Right Wing Bubble is still worshiping the Police caste. Crazy. I've got nothing against individual police officers, but damn, maybe they should be policing themselves first before authoritating on others.

It's Apple Barrel Theory. Apples are good, but one bad apple in the barrel spoils them all. Doesn't matter how many good apples are in the barrel after the rot sets in.

"Conservatives" need to stop worshiping the thin blue line.

[mad.casual]

There's a "The Facebook Right Wing Bubble" account? And you're a follower?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Let's see one of those cops' exes try that maneuver. A tasing would be her very best outcome.

[MWAocdoc]

And, I predict, nothing bad will happen to the officers who violently violated this person's rights. As usual ...

[Think It Through]

"ex-girlfriend....One of the officers encouraged the ex to kick in the door"

Maybe I don't know what a woman is, after all. Kicking in doors?

[AT]

OK, so this is an interesting one. Like everything every single wrong thing that could be done by every player in the game, was done.

So, obviously, right off the bat - cops did wrong on this one. Girlcop especially (but, ngl, that's to be expected, women are terrible cops - sorry ladies, you're not cut out for that job). And then the other two just stand there while the woman kicks in the door.

And the woman? Nope, sorry - that first kick? Attempted burglary. And once she crosses the threshold, full-on actual burglary. Doesn't matter if her stuff's being held hostage. Nor does it matter that she was (mis)counseled by a cop to do so. Off to jail, lady.

But let's talk about Ortiz here too, because not a victim either. (Well, a victim of idiocy perhaps; also just give the lady her stuff. Don't be a jerk dude.) Because, like in most of these situations, he does the exact wrong thing: not comply. It's just like that dumb idiot from last week that refused to sign his ticket and then went nutso bananas - apparently believing that would improve his situation. Bro, if they're out there holding tasers and you've got a heart problem and a pacemaker - why would you do ANYTHING ELSE other than help them de-escalate? I mean, his mom figured it out - what was his malfunction?

“I just wanted to defend my rights,” he is heard telling officers.

That's not the way to do it buddy. Not even a little bit.

Of course, more distressing is deletion of the bodycam footage and the alleged threat Ortiz supposedly (but not likely) made to the cops that "justified" their use of force, and the fact that there appears to be no consequences for the cops' actions prior to physically encountering Ortiz. I'm really surprised this Brickbat didn't zero in on THAT instead.