Police Swarm Subway After Protests Over Shooting Turn Violent (VIDEO)

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO OF PROTESTS

OAKLAND, Calif. — Heavy police presence greeted Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters Thursday, a day after more than 100 people were arrested in violent protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer. At least three cars were set on fire, store windows were smashed and a police cruiser was vandalized in what started as a peaceful demonstration Wednesday over the Jan. 1 shooting of Oscar Grant. Police in riot gear threw tear gas to try to break up the demonstration.

"The crowd started to become more agitated, more hostile, started throwing stuff at the police," said Oakland Police spokesman Jeff Thomason. He said charges against those arrested include inciting a riot, assault on a police officer, vandalism, rioting and unlawful assembly.

Extra police were deployed to East Bay stations on Thursday. Officers patrolled BART headquarters to ensure calm during the agency's morning meeting, where many African-American community leaders expressed outrage over the killing of Grant.

An officer identified as Johannes Mehserle shot the 22-year-old on a BART station platform after responding to reports of men fighting on a train. Officers had pulled Grant and a few other men out of the train. The victim was lying face down on the platform when he was shot.

The shooting and events leading up to it were captured on amateur videos that have been broadcast on television.

Mehserle resigned from the transit agency shortly before he was supposed to be interviewed by investigators Wednesday. Mehserle's attorney did not respond to calls for comment.

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Some experts who viewed the video clips speculated that Mehserle fired his gun because he believed Grant had a deadly weapon, while others think the officer had mistakenly his handgun for a stun gun.

"If he was under stress he would not be able to distinguish between a Taser and his firearm," said Bruce Siddle, founder of PPCT Management Systems, an Illinois company that trains law-enforcement officers in use-of-force.

BART police and the district attorney are investigating the shooting, and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums asked city police to investigate as well.

Grant's family has filed a $25 million wrongful death claim against BART and want prosecutors to file criminal charges against Mehserle.

"There were racial slurs directed at the young men," family attorney John Burris said Thursday. "But I have no evidence that this particular officer (Mehserle) directed racial slurs towards Oscar Grant."

Police have not classified the confrontation as a hate crime.

During the protest, some people threw bottles; a window of a fast-food restaurant and other downtown stores were smashed. No injuries were reported.

"We gave a dispersal order four to five times over a 20-minute period, then we had our officers go in and start making arrests," said Thomason, the police spokesman.

Dellums went to the protest scene Wednesday night to call for calm. He then led a group toward City Hall and spoke with them.

"Even with our anger and our pain, let's still address each other with a degree of civility and calmness and not make this tragedy an excuse to engage in violence," said Dellums, who is black. "I don't want anybody hurt, I don't want anybody killed."

Comments

[StyleSista]

I just don't see how a trained officer can't tell a taser from a gun, stressed or not...

[Jtt]

Frederick P. Henry was fleeing arrest and Somerset County Deputy Sheriff Robert Purnell needed to stop him. Purnell reached back to unholster his Taser, then drew and fired at Henry. ( http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4183/is_/ai_n20518015 )

Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Against Taser

In 2002, police officer Marcy Noriega of Madera, Calif., shot and killed Everardo Torres after Noriega mistook her pistol for a Taser M26, which is designed to resemble a firearm. Torres’ family sued the city. ( http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jul/15/business/fi-taser15 )

[Jtt]

( http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4183/is_/ai_n20518015 )

( http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jul/15/business/fi-taser15 )

[jnik]

Even if he mistook his gun for his taser, what reason did the cop have to use it? The man was lying on the floor on his belly, being handcuffed by another cop!
Again, WHY DID HE UNHOLSTER ANY WEAPON ON A MAN LYING ON THE FLOOR?

[lgg]

that's bs, the guy was a psycho and we will never know the true story of it. most cops are suspicious of most people but are taught to profile of young men of color as perps. you can't have that many cops going into work day after day being trained that all young men of color are about to commit a felony any second now and not have that affect the psyche of the police. they have been poisoned against us and have been allowed to run amuck in our neighborhoods.

It is actually one of them who is bound to snap at any moment and on any given day you can see one snapping on youtube thanks to cell phone cameras.

if it was a white kid, i think this psycho wouldn't have drawn his weapon, and the other "peace officer" wouldn't have been kneeling on his head. you can't feed these guys hate in their training and not expect them to act as they are taught and allowed and encouraged to act.

[baptox]

The officer was/is not a psycho. He is described as having friends of all colors/ races and is a said to be a really likable, easy-going person who is devastated by this.

This is a tragedy and should not have happened. But Oakland is a very dangerous city with a very high black-on-black crime rate. Gang wars in the Bay area are rampant.

[stormgazer]

I had a weird day today. I was listening to some old Dead Kennedy's and then I read this story. From their version of "I Fought The Law":

"The law don't mean sh*t if you've got the right friends
That's how the country's run
Twinkies are the best friends I've ever had
I fought the law And I won
I fought the law and I won...

I'm the new folk hero of the Ku Klux Klan
My cop friends think that's fine
You can get away with murder if you've got a badge
I fought the law And I won
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
I am the law
So I won..."

The bronze that killed that young man will get away with this. They always do. The notion of "Internal Affairs" is a pathetic joke.

[triplbee]

They're not going to get away with this one. All of that other stuff happened in the age before YouTube. This man is going to be tried for murder.

[stormgazer]

All video evidence does is force defense attorneys to resort to more elegant and sophisticated forms of sophistry in order to persuade a court. Cops and Judges routinely cover each other's backsides. If he is brought to justice, it will be done vigilante style, which is perhaps what he truly deserves.

[Harinama]

Thank goodness for cell phone cameras, as it is no longer "hearsay", but proof of crimes committed by those who are sworn to PROTECT US. I would NOT want to be a cop these days, I'm sure they deal with a ton of bad sh_t. But it is a job for professionals just like every career. Just as I don't want a street thug to do my taxes, i also do not want one as a police officer.

Please do the right thing. Investigate this thoroughly and discipline accordingly. Make this an opportunity to build relations with citizens by making changes to ensure this doesn't occur.

We as Americans must DEMAND transparency, professionalism and due diligence in our govt, or we will become that which we despise (have we already?).

[lungfish]

good post... I agree about the cameras... probably why the officer resigned and bunkered up with an attorney..­... it was murder, pure and simple. Stress or not this man had no business wearing a gun to begin with and if stress is an excuse for mistaking stun gun for a handgun then we are all in danger everytime a cop comes near...
I lived in the Bay area and I fully understand how much the cops are hated and how they earn and propogate that hate. Rogue units rob and murder people, Oakland Housing Authority cops were doing that a few years ago.... people are beaten, humiliated and abused while departments hire bad cops, and rehire them and fail to hold their own accountabl­e....its all over the Bay. They are incompetent and dangerous.­..

[SinisterK9]

It was not murder plain and simple. Murder at very least requires intent. Now if you said it was probably manslaughter at minimum, I might be inclined to agree with that as a more logical conclusion. However, let the system work. The guy is off the force. The family has filed suit. The DA is investigating, and a reasonable person has no reason to believe that charges will not be filed (at this point).

People rioting are not helping the situation, and they are doing nothing but harm to their own community. They haven't even given the system the opportunity to work, or not work.

[bosunj]

Everyone is in danger anytime a c0p comes near! Anytime! Most especially if you're doing nothing wrong. C0p thugs dressed up like Roboc0p roaming the streets looking for a place to start trouble. No c0p is your friend! They are here to serve and protect the interests of the elites and the owning class!

[jsomerville5]

Ok, so what do you think about the thugs from the Muslim Bakery who murdered the African American journalist ?

What do you think about the horrendous crime rate in Oakland and all of the criminals there who are robbing and shooting and are armed with guns ? Are they dangerous too ?

[PutzFrau]

BART cops are real cops. They are not security detail or renta cops. They carry guns and such. The reason BART has it's own police force is because the BART trains travel in and out of different counties so there are different jurisdictions.

This cop is no different from a regular cop and should not be walking around free right now.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Simpson P.D., who knew...

[Synthon]

Why in the hell do they allow "transit police" to carry guns?

[vedder110]

They are State Police Officers. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police

[SinisterK9]

Because they are police officers and surprise, crimes actually happen where they work too.

[vbrans]

Go back to polishing your guns tool.

[jsomerville5]

Back when there was a separate transit police unit in NYC, the cops had guns. Good thing too, because I was robbed on the NYC subway line with a gun to my head. That was fairly common back in 1989

[bugland]

he mistook his gun for his taser? this is supposed to be an excuse?

1) if he can't tell the difference "under stress", he shouldn't be handling either weapon.
2) what reason could he possibly have had for trying to taser a man who was already face down on the ground?

[Bobleblah1]

Amen.

[moonflowerjewelry]

i lived in the bay area for almost 20 years. Local independent newspapers like the Bay Guardian reported many times on the abuses of BART police towards the homeless and people of color. BART police, I think, and I admit I could be wrong, are a company owned security force not affiliated legally or technically with local police agencies. that is significant. less oversight in the private sector

[vedder110]

While blaming this on the private sector may nicely fit a particular agenda, BART police are sworn State Police Officers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police

[Skepticat]

Transit police are sworn police officers with the same authority as regular police for law enforcement on or related to transit system property.

[lawgrrl]

I used to live out there up until 2 years ago. Keep in mind BART police are "wanna be" cops (couldn't make it into police academy, or didn't want to do that much work), they are not Oakland police department or San Francisco police department. I worked with BART "officers" a handful of times as a prosecutor and let's just say they ain't the brightest barrels in the bunch and their training and experience is laughable at best. They are glorified mall cops, and shouldn't even have deadly weapons, other than tasers. You get all kinds of wackos on BART, but no more than NYC or any other major city. This is just inexcusable and makes real officers look bad, and I worked with more excellent police officers than bad ones, and have nothing but the utmost respect for law enforcement. Like any agency, they have their extremely bad, bad employees, and it makes me feel for all the good ones who have to take the heat as a result in public opinion. I'm black and share the same concerns as other posters, but trust me--those BART cops are idiots.

[PixieThis]

That's incorrect. The BART police are academy trained, just like every other police department in the state of California. They just have a different jurisdiction than the city police departments.

You're doing a huge injustice to all police officers when you make statements like these.

[vbrans]

Yes we wouldn't want to do THEM any injustice would we.FTP!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

Hopefully, all other police officers are better trained.

If not, then there are going to be additional shootings and additional claims that the shooters only intended to give their shooting victims a little pain from a non-lethal jolt of electricity but they were mistakenly holding the wrong weapon.

Since it is undeniable from the videos that Oscar Grant was on his stomach and not offering any resistance, what can be the excuse from a trained officer for even wanting to give him a jolt? What can he give as a reason? Was Oscar Grant too immobile? Did the shooter think that Oscar Grant needed reviving and that he would revive him with his laser? Or did the shooter intend to cause harm for no justifiable reason, and now he simply has defenders who want to make excuses for him?

[nexus1961]

OK... any "professional training" that didn't include how to distinguish a Taser from a pistol would be laughed out of an NRA kiddy-gun -safety course.
I live in Los Angeles.. a city where the cops have been out of control SO long that I
can't remember a time when they (LAPD) WASN'T under a Federal Consent Decree!!
While I think that a lot of cops are simply UNqualified to hold a gun, and THIS is such
an obvious case that only a person with idealogical Kool-Aid for blood could defend it,
The obvious solution is NOT to disarm the cops... talk to Britain about how that works.
What we really NEED is a better standard of COPS themselves!!!!
No more excusing/covering up crap like this one.. didn't Rodney King teach anyone ANYTHING??
No more "marginal" officers.. we won't accept marginal TEACHERS, why should we
accept a pinhead with a gun??

[vedder110]

You are right, they are not Oakland or San Francisco police officers. Actually they are State police officers.

Check it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police

[lizziekw]

"Keep in mind BART police are "wanna be" cops (couldn't make it into police academy, or didn't want to do that much work), they are not Oakland police department or San Francisco police department­."

Umm, actually they're State Police.

"I worked with BART "officers" a handful of times as a prosecutor­..."

No you didn't. Any real prosecutor would know that BART cops are members of the State Police.

Think about trying on a new fake persona, this "prosecutor" suit doesn't fit you.

[jsomerville5]

They're not Wanna police. They're state cops. Where do you get your erroneous information?

[Jtt]

In this case, evidently a black mans life is worth more than someone else"s :

"Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Against Taser

July 15, 2005

In 2002, police officer Marcy Noriega of Madera, Calif., shot and killed Everardo Torres after Noriega mistook her pistol for a Taser M26, which is designed to resemble a firearm. Torres’ family sued the city." ( http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jul/15/business/fi-taser15 )

No one cared then.

There have been no credible allegations that Racism caused this incident. NONE.

Police brutality is a real problem. Don't diminish it by making inaccurate statements.

Why don't you try and help out everyone, make a stand in other instances instead of just helping those that are the same color as you when the opportunity arises.

[MoeB]

Maybe the issue in that case was that people didn't have the displeasure of seeing it on VIDEO. There was also an instance of another shooting death of the child of a former MLB player (shot w/a shotgun by police who *thought* the car he was in was stolen in Bellaire) on NYE. That hasn't made national news either. But I get your point.

[abcjohnson]

One of the main ways that police brutality operates is THROUGH racism. Don't diminish the real problem of police brutality by not acknowledging its connection to racism.

Also, the case you site above appears to be a Latino cop killing a Latino citizen. This case is a white cop killing a Black man AND it's caught on tape. Open your eyes!

[larry278]

The dateline is Oakland. Did it happen in Oakland? I hope that the shooting didn't happen in Oakland. How will the Grand Jury, the courts or those who investigate this incident handle this matter? We in the East have been advised by a noted American, ex-pat that, "There is no there in Oakland.".

[PixieThis]

Wow - that's incredibly sad. What city do you live in? I'd love to make general, ignorant statements about your HOME.

[gretchenart]

Poor attempt at humor by quoting Gertrude Stein. Doubt if anyone younger than 50 or so even knows who Gertrude Stein was! :-)

[vedder110]

I cannot understand what you are saying.

[baptox]

Oakland is a big city urban area, and like all urban areas suffers from a rash of gang-related (mostly black-on-black) crime. Have any of you ever been to any of these BART stations? They are very dangerous, especially at night.
As horrible as the videotape looks, I really do believe the cop meant to taser him. Whether tasering was called for, I doubt it. What would have been a disturbing incident (an unarmed man, face-down on the ground, subdued, being tasered) turned into a tragedy.

[readmewell22]

To the family, I am pray for peace for your soul because of your loss.
Sue the hell_0 out of them!!!!!

[readmewell22]

Everybody has cell phones and cameras these days. So, unjustifiable police brutality will continue to be caught on tape. This abuse was caught on several cameras. I just saw it on television for the first time. It is not difficult to understand the outrage, and I am not condoning the violence but there was a clear unjustifiable death created by an officer that should have used better jugdement, and now a young life is sniffed out and gone. I always seek and pray for peace, and hopefully things will settle down. But this officer should be fired, without pay pending court/trial. The amount of the law suit will assure that this does not happen again any time soon. I am sorry for the loss of life.

[SinisterK9]

As written in the article and broadcast nationwide: The officer immediately quit, so he is off the force. The family has already filed suit against him, and the DA is investigating.

[vbrans]

Move along nothing to see here looky-loo's

[MoeB]

Did the officer quit the next day (Jan. 2nd)? If not, then he didn't "immediately" quit.

And while I do applaud your strong belief in the "justice" system, you are being willfully blind if you can't comprehend why many people aren't really comforted by the notion that the DA is "investigating".

[vbrans]

It does not matter if it is on video or not.The police will continue to do this with impunity video be damned.The video only makes it possible for people to witness what goes on everyday all over the country.A man in texas was shot in his own driveway the same day.His father was a farmer major league baseball player.

[Seven7s]

I am proud of them for protesting and YES even violently.

Peace only works when the other side is also peaceful. The problem is what is the post-rebellion plan? How are they going to make sure the justice system sees a black person's life is just as important as a white man's?

How are they going to make sure a white jury doesn't see a cop who kills a black person as a hero who just "took out the trash?"

Sadly, history has shown that the only language whites understand is, "LOSS OF MONEY, LOSS OF POWER OR LOSS OF LIFE"

Unless powerful whites are threatened with one of those three things they have no realistic incentive to change. THey have no reason to come to the table peacefully to stop brutality so it is up to the people to give them a reason.

And thats sad but its also true.

[baptox]

Uhhh...How clueless can you be? They destroyed black businesses and terrorized black neighborhoods.

[RaceCondition]

16 comments? Buried AP story? This is huge news in our neck of the woods, HuffPo folks, and is certainly vastly more important than whether people think Dr Gupta is a TV quack or not. Peoples' lives and livelihoods are at stake. People are creating wanton chaos and destruction, and the people who are proscribed to protect and serve are hiding behind the "thin blue line". This is important, this is news, this deserves sunlight.

[ColoradoDan]

How odd ... the clip is unavailable. Something tells me the police photoshop tech is making some decent overtime.

This indeed should be top story. A public murder by one who is paid via tax dollars to protect and serve. This cop is behind bars right now I presume. Right?

"If he was under stress he would not be able to distinguish between a Taser and his firearm," Please tell me this official did NOT say this ... PLEASE! So if someone is pulled over and under stress and reaches for a gun while thinking it is a drivers license, is that okay? My God ... talk about making murder seem like no big deal. Stress ... the newest get-out-of­-jail-free card. This guy needs to be fires NOW.

NO wonder folks are very very angry. Then to hear comments like that is like pouring gas on a fire.

And as someone else stated ... WHY would you reach for a taser when the poor guy in on the ground and cuffed???

I just cannot believe that official said THAT after viewing the videos. Insane.