West Palm Beach officers fired after beating handcuffed suspect
Two of the officers involved in the May 26th beating of a handcuffed subject, Officers Louis Schwartz and Jason Zangara, were fired today. The third officer, Kurt Graham, a rookie cop on probation still, resigned on July 22.
"The West Palm Beach Police Department has a zero tolerance policy for use of excessive force," said city spokesman Chase Scott in a statement released this afternoon. "Following an internal investigation which the department launched itself without a complaint from the robbery suspect, Chief Delsa Bush substantiated that the incident on May 26th, 2008 was a violation of policy and the involved officers have all either resigned or have been served with notices of termination as of this date."
The suspect/victim had just stolen pain pills from a pharmacy and threatened an officer with pepper spray. After he was cuffed and laying on his stomach on the ground, the officers punched and kicked him, then after he was stood up one officer repeatedly punched him in the face. I wonder how long it will be before one or more of the officers is hired by another agency, and why these cops aren't being prosecuted for their crime.
There is video on the Palm Beach Post's website, and it has found its way to Youtube as well:
