VA Police Officers charged in Beating of Black Man
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Lamont Koonce in Coma for 2 Months
Two former police officers face federal civil rights charges in the beating of a black man who was pulled over during a traffic stop and ended up in a coma for more than two months. Michael R. Perkins is charged with kicking and stomping Lamont C. Koonce, who was pulled over for a broken tail light in October 2003 as he drove home from work. Michael A. Tweedy is charged with kicking Koonce and falsifying a police report to cover up the incident. Tweedy is black, and Perkins is white. The beating, which involved at least four police officers in the Richmond suburb of Petersburg, left Koonce hospitalized for three months with a fractured skull, collapsed lung and other injuries. "This is a tragedy for two reasons: the injuries suffered by Koonce ... and it does affect the public's opinion of police," U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said Tuesday. Petersburg Police Chief Morris Jones said that Perkins, Tweedy and the two other officers involved in the incident were fired. McNulty said additional federal charges could be filed against the other two officers. Lawyers for Perkins and Tweedy declined to comment Tuesday. A phone message left for Koonce was not immediately returned. Officers initially claimed that Koonce was injured when he tripped and fell several times trying to flee. [more] and [more]