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May 9, 2012

Officers Face Manslaughter Charges over Fatal Beating of Homeless Man 
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Video and audio recordings have been released showing police officers in
California brutally beating a homeless man who later died. On the tapes
— and we now advise viewer discretion to our television audience
— one of the police officers threatens 37-year-old Kelly Thomas as
he sits on the ground. The officers then begin beating Thomas, even
though he appears to show no signs of resistance. Thomas can be heard
pleading for help, apologizing to the officers and repeatedly telling
them, "I can’t breathe." As the beatings continued, he lost
consciousness and later died. Fullerton Police Officer Manuel Ramos is
now being charged with second-degree murder and involuntary
manslaughter. Another officer, Jay Cicinelli, is charged with
involuntary manslaughter and excessive force. Prosecutors say Cicinelli
used a taser against Thomas multiple times and hit him in the face with
the taser. In court testimony, a trauma surgeon said continuous
compression of Thomas’ chest caused the breathing problems that led to
his death.

 

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