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A POLICE OFFICER in the US state of Maryland has been convicted of assault and misconduct, after being caught on camera pointing his gun directly at a man’s head and in his mouth, allegedly in an effort to impress his friends.
On 10 May last year, officer Jenchesky Santiago, from Prince George’s County, outside Baltimore, was on patrol in a residential neighbourhood in the town of Bowie.
At the same time, 36-year-old William Cunningham, who is black, was sitting and talking in his cousin’s car, outside his home.
According to a lawsuit filed by Cunningham, Santiago stopped his patrol car and asked him what he was doing, without provocation.
Despite explaining he lived at the address, Santiago claimed the car was parked illegally.
When Cunningham stepped out and walked towards his front door, Santiago allegedly leaped from his own vehicle, screaming “Get back in the car!” and grabbed Cunningham.
A video released by Prince George’s County police this week shows Santiago pulling his gun at Cunningham, berating and pushing him, before holding the weapon to his head, and even placing it in his mouth.
The officer can be heard saying “I dare you to fucking fight me, son.”
According to the lawsuit, Santiago went on to tell both Cunningham and his cousin, Kenneth Smith:
You are going to learn about Officer Santiago. You better ask someone [because] I just came from Iraq and I’m not scared of none of y’all!
He later handcuffed Cunningham, conducted a potentially illegal search of Smith’s car, and threatened to have it towed.
However, following a call from Cunningham’s wife, a police supervisor arrived on the scene and ordered the handcuffs to be taken off Cunningham, and assured Smith his car would not be towed.
Neither man was arrested, and there was no evidence of any criminal activity whatsoever on their part.
Cunningham filed a complaint against Officer Santiago, who was suspended without pay.
Prosecutor Angela Alsobrooks said his behaviour was probably designed to impress two civilian friends who were travelling in his patrol car that day, although Santiago was not authorised to invite them along, the Washington Post reports.
We think, unfortunately, what happened is that he was showing off for his friends.
Santiago was convicted on Wednesday of first-degree assault, and official misconduct.
Cunningham and his wife have launched a separate civil lawsuit against Santiago and local authorities, in which they are seeking a total of $12 million in compensation for alleged rights violations.
Responding to this week’s conviction, Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw called Santiago’s behaviour “flagrant, appalling and isolated.”
His actions are among the worst I’ve seen as Chief of Police and that will be taken into account when I make a decision about his employment.
Santiago, who graduated from the police academy two years ago, has not been fired, pending a possible appeal of his conviction.
Under federal US law, using a weapon in a violent crime carries a mandatory minimum five-year sentence, but Alsobrooks told the Washington Post Santiago could face up to 45 years in prison.
He will be sentenced on 8 January.
On Wednesday, William Cunningham told reporters he was “thankful justice was served.”
If any time you feel your rights are being violated, you should step up to the plate and say something.
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On the one hand I want to blame the officer for obvious abuse of power and rights violations etc. but you also have to question a police system which allows men like him, who have clearly been affected mentally by their military service, to enter back into regular police duty.
There is nothing in the article which confirms that he did military service. He stated he had, presumably to intimidate the victim.
@John What are you waffling on about you numpty? Where does it say he was a drug dealer? He was sitting in HIS car outside HIS house. Considering it was America, the man is lucky this fool of a police officer didn’t blow his brains out.
When my friends or family give me a lift home from somewhere I usually sit and talk to them in the car for a while, John. It would seem kinda rude if I just jumped outta the car and went inside.
Felt bad for this guy getting harassed and abused by this blatantly mentally ill copper, but I felt a lot less sympathetic after reading he wants 12 million dollars for his trouble. He wants more money than the average person will earn in several lifetimes for 5 minutes of police intimidation. Gimme a break.
People who murder other people usually wear shoes of some kind.
Read the article, John.
Drug dealers usually sit in their cars ??? And ordinary citizens don’t ?? You’ve never pulled up outside your house and responded to a text message or something ??? Very narrow minded comment…. You would swear it was a crime to be outside your own house
I would sue for the max I could get. That’s the best way to motivate change – I.e. Vetting and then peer monitoring of police officers while on the beat.
Was this behaviour reported by his partner/the friends he was impressing? No – well then the police department need to be hit where it counts – their budget – then lessons will then be learnt.
Max if he gets 12 million then it wouldn’t be long stopping.
It scares me to think of what terrible injustices people have had to suffer before we camera phones and other media to report the horrors of people who abuse their power. The past 3 years has made me lose all respect for American police officers.
Don’t tar the many with the brush of the few though.
Best not pick a side. Wrong doing on “both sides”. Rarely see the “Cop does his job efficiently and effectively” story. It does happen. I wouldn’t click it though.
Unless he had a mohawk. Or crazy long dreads. Or his name was Yahweh and he brings his cat with him when on his beat.
In fairness, the Chief of Police recognised and accepted the unacceptability of this gross misconduct. The offending police officer is clearly temperamentally unsuitable to be emoloyed as a police officer. Although the offence should have been prosecuted, a civil suit will underline the unacceptability of such conduct.
It’s hard to escape the racial hatred dimension.
@Fiona
“Although the offence should have been prosecuted,….”
If you read the article, you’ll notice that the cop was prosecuted and convicted.
I think in fact he is still in Iraq, or Iraq is in him
Thank you for the correction; his conviction will facilitate his dismissal.,
No option but to recognise it because there’s footage.
Good riddance to him.
@Fiona…. Yes Fiona it’s hard. And death often results..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ui50cFjK1I,
Video shows gang beating to death a homeless veteran.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ui50cFjK1I,
Woohoo Murica!!!
F*3k yeah!!!!
Relax PC brigade I’m being sarcastic!!!
Yeah but you were trying to be funny too. Scarlet for ye.
I could be wrong but it seems that civil police are being trained to perform their duties using a military training regime…
The word ‘douchebag’ was invented for this so called cop.
It was actually for a female hygiene product.
Looks like the US is reverting back to the 50′s. Racial tension is rife. This is a powder keg waiting to blow. Nothing seems to be done about reeling the police force in. There are far too many incidents like this happening. Collectively this is poison for their society.
The NYT highlighted it last month alone. Huge level of racial tension in Yale,UCLA and University of Missouri and spreading across many campuses via social media. President of University of Missouri has resigned over it. These are ivy league colleges. Pretty shocking. Beacons of the US intelligentia..
Neither has respect for the other. Looks staged.
Hence the conviction for Barbrady!!
Why should that guy have any respect for a psycho cop threatening him with a gun outside his own home for no reason?
Should be doing hard time 15yrs minimum going on American sentencing rates
RUC
Regular hero returned from Iraq
“Im not gonna tell you again”
Then tells him again.
Guns for many can represent their penis, there could be another reason he did this other than pure evil hatred?
Cool!
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