Congressman asks Justice Department to Investigate Houston Police Beating of Handcuffed Black Teen
From [HERE] Representative Al Green, a Houston Democrat, on Monday asked the Justice Department to begin a civil rights investigation after a videotape surfaced that shows Houston police officers beating and kicking a 15-year-old burglary suspect last March as he lay on the ground. Four officers are awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges of official repression in the case, but prosecutors had blocked release of the tape, arguing that it would taint a trial. An ABC television affiliate, KTRK, obtained a copy and broadcast it on Wednesday, reigniting anger over the arrest. On the video, the teenager appears to be clipped by a police car during a chase. He falls, flips onto his stomach and puts his hands behind his head. Several officers rush in, punching and kicking him as they arrest him. “We are outraged at what occurred,” Mr. Green said. The teenager, Chad Holley, was later sentenced to probation for burglary.