Officer beats 66-year-old man suffering from dementia
MELBOURNE, Fla. — WFTV obtained dash camera video of a violent police beating in Melbourne. - The video shows an officer attacking a 66–year-old man who WFTV learned is suffering from dementia. In the video, Melbourne police Officer Derek Middendorf is shown giving Albert Flowers a front kick to his stomach. Middendorf then punched Flowers repeatedly while he was on the ground. In a report, Middendorf [lied and] said Flowers walked towards him in an aggressive manner at a fast pace and he couldn't tell whether he had a knife in his hands. Flowers' nephew, Garrick Flowers, said he yelled at the officer to stop and told him his uncle has dementia. "He's 66 years old, he had triple bypass, I think he's killing him," said Garrick Flowers. The family said Middendorf was choking Flowers, and the video shows another officer running over and tasing Flowers in the face. The family said Flowers was hospitalized for close to a month.