Fontana pays nearly $900,000 to victim of Police torture.
Detectives grilled Thomas Perez Jr. for 17 hours, deprived him of medications and threatened to have his dog killed if he didn’t confess to killing his father, who was actually alive.
This story is horrific.
At one point during the interrogation, the investigators even threatened to have his pet Labrador Retriever, Margosha, euthanized as a stray, and brought the dog into the room so he could say goodbye. “OK? Your dog’s now gone, forget about it,” said an investigator.
He was so distraught that he even tried to hang himself with the drawstring from his shorts after being left alone in the interrogation room. Perez was arrested, handcuffed and transported to a mental hospital for 72-hour observation.
Perez’s father wasn’t dead — or even missing. Thomas Sr. was at Los Angeles International Airport waiting for a flight to see his daughter in Northern California. But police didn’t immediately tell Perez.
Fucking incredible that there are people that cry about others saying ACAB when shit like this happens.
Yeah, but it's not like they didn't face consequences.
Three of the involved officers remain employed with the department. One other officer has retired.
Oh... never mind.
There is no such thing as a good cop. If my son wanted to be a pig I would completely disown him. I have never met a cop I trusted. I have never committed a crime, not even a speeding ticket. Every single time I have had to interact with a pig it's made me want to throw up.
goddamn
My wife watches true crime bullshit all the time. It's stunning how every one of the defendants incriminate themselves. They think they're smarter than the cops and have a solid story.
Y'all, cops are expert level at getting you to talk. There is no option but to stone face them out. "I don't answer questions and I want a lawyer." Never say any other words besides these. (OK, "Am I being detained?" is fair game.)
Just STFU, there is no world in which you're going to outwit people whose very job is interrogation.
Having said all that, these cops should have the hammer dropped on them. Fired, no LEO future anywhere, sued into bankruptcy and thrown in jail. And that might satisfy me.
Remember in many countries you have the right to legal counsel and to have them present during any questioning. Getting said counsel should be a priority if you find yourself in a police station. Be respectful but clear from the start that you aren't discussing your day until the lawyer/attorney is present.
This story is exactly why people need to be educated about their rights. If this poor guy had asked for an attorney the cops would have had to stop the interview immediately until one was present. I imagine once they resumed the question it would have gone differently with a legal professional in the room.
The script needs to be taught vigorously:
🔃 Rinse 'n repeat. Never say anything else
You also have to vocally state that you are invoking your right to remain silent. Just remaining silent is apparently not enough.
Additionally, the request for a lawyer must be unequivocal. Not "I think I need a lawyer," as much as any reasonable person would consider that as a request for a lawyer. McDaniel, the guy in the linked case got railroaded after saying that he thinks he would rather have a lawyer there to speak for him, and the claim that the questioning should have stopped was dismissed because he hadn't requested a lawyer, only that he thought he needed a lawyer.
Judges bend over backwards to let police mess with our rights, so clarity and assertiveness are a must.
Yeah but then they got $900k, could an attorney have done that?
The dude tried to hang himself in duress. I really don't think this is the appropriate line of reasoning.
Fair point and you may be joking because it's a good question for that. If serious, I honestly don't know what the odds are in a gamble like that. Was he "lucky" or do most people the police abuse like this get big payouts? Is it worth forgoing legal counsel in the hopes that the police screw up in a manner that can be prosecuted into a payout?
If I knew I was going to get 900k I'd likely be willing to go through such a rough day, but those are quite the dice to roll in the moment methinks. If I ever end up in a police station my plan is to get counsel.
Hopefully all the detectives in this case were fired.
Also end qualified immunity...tax payers shouldn't be paying for these fucks to literally torture someone.
Instead of spending 17 hours looking for the father, they decided to torture this poor dude...lock up these authoritarian fucks.
That's fucking depressing.