Former College Basketball Star Accuses Houston Police Officer of Assault

From [HERE] and [HERE] A former University of Houston basketball star says he suffered a concussion when a police officer hit him over the head with a nightstick unprovoked and threatened to kill him.

Michael Young's accusation comes during a period of intense public scrutiny of the Houston Police Department after the release of two videos showing HPD officers beating African-American men.

"Mr. Young has come forward because he does not want this man to be on the police force to hurt somebody else," said Young's attorney, Reginald McKamie.

Young was a member of the famed Phi Slama Jama basketball squad at UH in the 1980s that included future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. He had a brief NBA career with the Suns, Clippers and 76ers, and now serves as director of basketball operations at UH.

The officer accused of striking Young is senior officer Brenton Green, 44, a 15-year HPD veteran assigned to the southeast patrol division. 

Young's attorney said his client had gone with his son to get Air Jordan Retro sneakers at about 1 a.m. Dec. 23, the day the new shoes were released.

"He went to the door to help his son come out of the store, and his son handed him some shoes," McKamie said. "He turned around to walk out of the store, and the officer hit him from behind with a nightclub."

Cursing and threats

McKamie said Green also cursed at Young and threatened him.

"He called (Young) some very, very bad names," Mc­Kamie said. "He called him the n-word several times. He told him he would kill him. He called him an (expletive)."

A security guard and another police officer at the store stopped Green, Mc­Kamie said.

McKamie said Green "was trying to instigate the other police officers there, and the security guard said, 'This man hasn't done anything,' and another police officer stepped forward and said, 'He hasn't done anything.' "

Young went to the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a concussion, McKamie said.

Later that same day, Young filed a complaint with HPD's Internal Affairs Division, McKamie said.

"The complaint is essentially that this officer beat Michael Young about the head with a club for no reason in violation of HPD policies," he said. "Officers are not supposed to hit anybody about the head unless they're trying to exert lethal force, unless they're trying to kill somebody."

Young became increasingly concerned as weeks passed with no word from HPD, McKamie said. An Internal Affairs officer finally spoke to Young last week, but "they have not told us anything," he said.

"If the media had not gotten involved, I don't think they ever would have gotten around to it," McKamie said.

In February 2010, Green shot and wounded a man during a traffic stop in southeast Houston.

An HPD news release at the time said Green had stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the 5200 block of Pederson at 11:05 p.m. Feb. 24. The officer approached the vehicle and asked the driver, Steven Sevan Guidry, several times to get out, police said.

Fired during struggle

Guidry refused, police said, and as Green tried to take him into custody, both men got into a struggle.

"During the struggle, the suspect reached into his waistband as if to get a weapon," the HPD news release stated. "Fearing for his safety, Officer Green discharged his duty weapon at least once and struck the suspect."

No weapon was ever found on Guidry.

Guidry, who survived a gunshot wound to the neck, gave a different account of events.

His attorney, Sylvester Anderson, said Guidry was driving home with a friend when he was stopped for allegedly failing to use a turn signal. He said Guidry never heard a command to get out of the car.

"He pulled over his vehicle and had his hands on the steering wheel," Anderson said. "The officer got out with his gun drawn, pulled him out of the car, threw him down on the ground and shot him in the back of the neck."

Guidry was charged with interfering with public duties, but that charge was later dismissed.

Young decided to speak up publicly about his own violent encounter with Green because he doesn't want the officer to remain on the police force, McKamie said.

"I think what we're hoping for is that people like him and others who are abusing their power are taken off the police force and citizens aren't living in fear of people who are supposed to be protecting them," he said.