Sunday, May 30, 2010

Police Kick Deaf Man

A video posted on YouTube shows Tampa Bay police officers kicking a deaf man laying on the ground. Three plain-clothed officers can be seen kicking 26-year-old Jacob Cowie. A uniformed officer arrives and joins them. The officers say their action was justified because Cowie did not comply with commands during the February altercation. But he could not have obeyed them, his attorney says, because he is deaf. Cowie's lawyer says the men approached from behind and he did not know they were police officers. A charge of disorderly conduct against Cowie was dropped. He has filed a lawsuit and an Internal Affairs investigation is underway. Watch a report from WTSP-TV here or watch the video tape of the kicking that has surfaced on YouTube below.