Store video catches cop bullying woman

[MikeinPhilly]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...ing_woman.html

WHEN AGNES LAWLESS and three friends were inside a Lukoil convenience store in the Northeast at 3 a.m. last August, they'd all but forgotten the fender-bender in which they'd been involved moments earlier.

There was little damage, and the other driver had left the scene, near Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

What they didn't know was that they'd been rear-ended by the son of a police officer who was on duty, and dad was about to get involved.

Lawless was standing at the counter of the store, at Comly Road and Roosevelt Boulevard, smiling and chatting with the clerk, when she was grabbed from behind and violently pushed back with a police officer's gun in her face.

"He hit me with his left hand, and he had his gun in his right hand," Lawless said. "He pushed his gun into the left side of my neck. It caused a scrape-type bruise on my neck."

After a chaotic struggle, Lawless was arrested and charged with assaulting the officer.

Lawless and her three friends, all in their early 20s, filed complaints with the Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau. But in cases in which it's a defendant's word against a police officer's, the benefit of doubt often falls to the cop.

Except when there's video.

Once surveillance video from the store's four security cameras was released, the case against Lawless collapsed, and disciplinary action commenced against the officer, Albert Lopez Sr. A lawsuit against the city is likely.

The incident provides a vivid example of how the countless video recordings generated today by security cameras and cell phones are affecting police work.

Drexel Law School professor Donald Tibbs said that video recordings are capturing more criminal activity and assisting prosecutions, but they're also monitoring police conduct.

"Police are now aware they're more accountable for their actions, because these tapes may be used against them in misconduct cases or civil-rights lawsuits," Tibbs said.

And Tibbs said that there are numerous cases of police seeking to confiscate and destroy tapes that may have captured a police action.



Internal Affairs probe


The clerk on duty the night that Lopez confronted Lawless told investigators that three times after the incident, police officers spoke with him about the security tape and that two asked if he would erase it.

An Internal Affairs investigation found no misconduct among officers who spoke with the clerk about the tape. But it concluded that Lopez had verbally abused Lawless, had jammed his gun into her face and had violated departmental procedures that night.

A hearing to determine what discipline, if any, will be imposed on Lopez is still pending.

Lopez's attorney, Gerald Stanshine, declined to comment and said that Lopez couldn't discuss the incident. Lopez's son, Albert Lopez Jr., didn't respond to messages seeking comment.

Although some details of what happened are in dispute, it's clear that the Lukoil encounter occurred a few minutes after the blue Mazda in which Lawless was riding was rear-ended at Decatur and Comly roads by a Buick Century driven at slow speed by Lopez Jr.

[CarolinaGuy]

So the pig's son rear-ends a car, leaves the scene of the accident, and then daddy plays attack dog assaulting a woman who wasn't even given a chance to reply...

Then the pigs ask the clerk to erase the tape.

Un-fucking-believeable.

Any officer of the peace who abuses his job that badly ought to take a 9mm to the dome. Same as that POS who raped the woman after a traffic stop.

Having thugs are bad enough...but thugs with badges should not be tolerated.

A hearing to determine what discipline, if any, will be imposed on Lopez is still pending.

And exactly why these pigs shouldn't be able to monitor themselves. If they can't be trusted to enforce the law on citizens, how can they be trusted on fellow pigs?

[falcn]

She should definitely go file assault charges and whatever else may stick against this guy.

[ROCK-IT3]

Unbelieveable. Cop just walks in w/ his son in tow, and starts assaulting the girl. He's gotta know there are cameras, so he must think his badge will protect him. Arrogance and stupidity at its best (or worst).

[Statkowski]

The clerk on duty the night that Lopez confronted Lawless told investigators that three times after the incident, police officers spoke with him about the security tape and that two asked if he would erase it.

An Internal Affairs investigation found no misconduct among officers who spoke with the clerk about the tape.

NO MISCONDUCT? Pardon my ignorance, but I thought attempting to destroy evidenceof a crime was itself a crime.

What kind of mind-altering drugs are those Internal Affairs people on?

[CarolinaGuy]

What kind of mind-altering drugs are those Internal Affairs people on?

Not sure...but they're so high, they're above the law.

[MikeinPhilly]

Not only did he commit a crime but had other officers helping cover it up.

"Ruiz told investigators that Lopez mentioned erasing the tape again after other officers arrived. He said that police visited him at the store twice the next day and asked him whether he would erase the tape. He also said that they had advised him to "help the cop out and testify for the cop."

"Ruiz, the Lukoil clerk, told investigators that after officers arrived following the altercation in the convenience store, he heard Officer Lopez give his son some instructions in Spanish, including, " 'Say he had a gun.' "


Its amazing that after all of this nothing was done to this officer.

The District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and declined to prosecute Officer Lopez in December. Eight days later, he was reissued his weapon and returned to full duty.

[Bug44]

Im the son of a cop... The first thing he would do is... tell me to pay for the damage... Then whoop my ass....

[OvadekP]

Now if you or I were to do the exact same thing we would be charged with what? Assault, Assault with a deadly weapon? I cannot understand why there are 2 standards, one for the general populace and one for Police.
In a more perfect world the cop would be looking for new employment after he gets out of jail.

[Ihatemyglock]

I'm not sure which i'm more appalled at.

What this officer did

or

What would happen to this person if the tape did not exist