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Jeremy Morse:
smug
Jury Awards Fired Calif.
Cop $1.6M
CBS, LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19,
2005
A former Inglewood, Calif.,
police officer who was fired for punching a black teenager and
slamming him against a patrol car in an incident that was captured
on videotape was awarded $1.6 million Tuesday by the jury in
a discrimination lawsuit he and his partner brought against the
city.
The jury voted 11-1 in favor
of the verdict for Jeremy Morse, said defense attorney Gregory
Smith. He said the jury was unanimous in awarding $810,000 to
Morse's partner, Bijan Darvish, who had been disciplined in connection
with the 2002 incident.
"This is not the first
time police officers have been trapped in race situations where
they suffered unfairly," Smith said in a phone interview
after the verdict was read. "This will have an impact in
police departments across the country."
Morse, 27, said he was very
happy with the verdict.
He had previously faced a charge
of assault, but a judge dismissed it in February 2004 after two
juries deadlocked. A jury acquitted Darvish of filing a false
report.
A bystander videotaped Morse
in July 2002 punching handcuffed Donovan Jackson in the head
and slamming him onto a patrol car in Inglewood, just south of
Los Angeles.
Morse, who is white, said he
reacted to Jackson grabbing his testicles. The videotape does
not show whether the grabbing occurred.
Morse was fired two months
later, and Darvish was suspended for 10 days for filing a police
report that failed to mention his partner's conduct. The two
filed the discrimination suit against Inglewood in February 2003,
alleging reverse discrimination, Smith said.
Inglewood Police Chief Ronald
Banks, who is black, said in a phone interview Tuesday that race
was not a factor in his decision to fire Morse and suspend Darvish,
who still works as an Inglewood officer. The city has not decided
whether to appeal the verdict.
"I based my decision on
their actions and what I thought their responsibility was. It
was based purely on the facts," he said. "I was shocked
at not only the verdict but the size of the awards. It was somewhat
ridiculous."
Mayor Roosevelt Dorn called
the verdict inflated and inappropriate, but said it was up to
the City Council to decide whether to appeal.
Judge declares hung jury
in police beating case
By Brad Graverson, AP pool,
July 29, 2003
LOS ANGELES (AP) -
A judge declared a hung jury Tuesday in the police brutality
case against a white former officer who punched and slammed a
handcuffed black teen onto a squad car during a videotaped arrest.
The jury deliberated more than
three days without reaching a verdict in the case of former Inglewood
officer Jeremy Morse, whose violent arrest of Donovan Jackson
at a gas station last July raised racial tensions and brought
back painful memories of the Rodney King beating.
The jury, which included only
one black member, was deadlocked 7-5 in favor of conviction against
Morse on a charge of assault under color of authority. His partner,
Bijan Darvish, 26, was found innocent of falsifying a police
report.
They both could have received
up to three years in prison if convicted.
District Attorney Steve Cooley
said his office would review the proceedings and decide whether
to seek a retrial. Morse's defense lawyer, John Barnett, said
the case should be thrown out.
Morse, 25, sat expressionless
with his hands locked after the judge declared a deadlocked jury.
Darvish and his attorney banged their fists on the table and
quietly uttered "yes."
Someone in the courtroom yelled,
"No justice here!" and was silenced by Superior Court
Judge William Hollingsworth Jr.
People standing outside the
courthouse held signs saying "Peace After the Verdict,"
hoping to prevent riots like the ones that devastated the city
after four white police officers were acquitted of state charges
in the videotaped beating of King in 1992. The four days of riots
left 55 people dead and more than 2,000 injured.
Inglewood
police officer Bijan Darvish, left, and former officer Jeremy
Morse react to the court finding.
The Los Angeles Police Department
kept officers late on their shifts and increased patrols in the
city in case of violence, but authorities reported no violence
following the verdict.
"Business is usual,"
said Inglewood police Sgt. Calvin Smith.
The judge said a hearing on
whether to have a retrial would be held Sept. 22, and that if
one was to be held it would begin Sept. 29.
Jackson and his father, Coby
Chavis, have state and federal civil rights lawsuits pending
against the officers, the city and Los Angeles County.
"We do think that this
case should definitely be retried and we look forward to that
on Sept. 29," said Jackson's attorney, Cameron Stewart.
"We are hopeful that this next time around, justice will
be served and we in the meantime will proceed vigorously with
the civil lawsuit."
Jackson was not in the courtroom
Tuesday. Morse and Darvish left the courtroom without comment.
Barnett said he would would
ask the judge to dismiss the charge against Morse.
"The basis is that he's
been tried once already and that it's unlikely that any jury
will convict him. There will be no new evidence and it would
be oppressive to put him through a second trial, the result of
which would almost certainly be the same," Barnett said.
Darvish's attorney, Ron Brower,
said his client is happy with the verdict and is anxious to get
to work. Darvish had been doing administrative duty with the
police department, but he would return to police duty as early
as Wednesday, Brower said.
Morse had been fired from the
force in Inglewood, about 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
Race was not mentioned at the
trial. In closing arguments, prosecutor Michael Pettersen said
Morse was "an angry, out-of-control officer" who administered
street justice against Jackson, then 16, because he had struggled
with officers.
Barnett portrayed Morse as
an officer who was doing his job and had only seconds to decide
how much force to use against a potentially dangerous suspect.
The incident began when Jackson
came out of the convenience store after buying gas and a bag
of chips to find Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies questioning
his father about expired license plate tags.
Both sides acknowledged that
Jackson made suspicious motions when confronted by officers -
he put his hands in his pockets - and resisted arrest. He flailed
with officers who took him to the ground after he got out of
a police car.
The videotape, filmed by a
bystander, began after that point. It showed Morse lifting an
apparently limp Jackson by his collar and belt and slamming his
head down on the trunk of a police car. Morse then punched the
teen in the head after Jackson allegedly grabbed his testicles.
The video also showed a bloody
scratch on Morse's head.
Jackson's parents said he has
a learning disability and has difficulty in understanding and
following instructions. Prosecutors suggested that may have been
why he failed to follow police orders.
They also argued that Morse
did not need to slam Jackson onto the police car because he wasn't
resisting. They contended the youth had passed out or was semiconscious
from being choked by a silver necklace he was wearing.
Jackson was not seriously injured.
On the witness stand, the teenager gave inconsistent answers
about whether he was conscious when Morse slammed him and said
he didn't remember much of the incident. He also denied striking
or injuring any officers.
Morse and Darvish also have
a lawsuit pending against the city of Inglewood. The suit claims
they are victims of racial discrimination and were treated more
harshly than a black officer at the scene who was suspended for
four days.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Former Inglewood officer
taped on video arrested for suspicion of DUI
Associated Press, Dec. 02,
2003
TORRANCE, Calif. - A former
Inglewood police officer who faced a trial after being videotaped
slamming a handcuffed teenager against a patrol car was arrested
over the Thanksgiving weekend for allegedly drunken driving,
according to a newspaper report.
Jeremy Jay Morse, 26, was arrested
in El Segundo on Friday for investigation of driving under the
influence of alcohol or drugs, the Daily Breeze of Torrance reported.
Morse was arrested following a traffic stop and later released
on $5,000 bail.
El Segundo police declined
to release Morse's blood-alcohol level and would not disclose
whether Morse took a breath or blood test, the newspaper said.
He was ordered to appear in court Jan. 20 to face the charge.
Morse's arrest last year of
Donovan Jackson, 16, was widely broadcast. He was shown slamming
the handcuffed teenager on a patrol car in an attempt to subdue
him.
During his trial, Morse contended
the teen resisted officers' attempts to arrest him and grabbed
his testicles. The rough treatment of the teen brought back memories
for many of the Rodney King beating.
Morse's case eventually ended
in a mistrial when jurors announced they were deadlocked 7-5
in favor of guilt.
Morse was subsequently fired
from the Inglewood force and faces a second trial for the videotaped
incident on a charge of assault under the color of authority.
He is due for a pretrial hearing Friday before Superior Court
Judge William Hollingsworth, who presided over his first assault
trial.
© 2003 AP Wire and
wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.mercurynews.com
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Truth can never be
told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell
