Police Brutality: Seattle Police Release Footage
Local lawyers say video of an alleged beating by a Seattle police officer is so explosive that if released, it would immediately go viral.
They claim that is the reason Seattle police are keeping the video hidden from public view. As a result, they and their client are suing the department. Back in October, Leo Etherly was bruised and black-eyed. As for how he got that way, Seattle police dash cam video could tell that story. Except police won't allow Etherly to have a copy, and they won't allow Etherly's attorney to share his copy with the public. Here's how Etherly tells it: "I was motionless, and he (the officer) was still punching me and says something to the effect of, 'You effing idiot.'" Witness video shows Etherly's face after he is already handcuffed on the ground. Store surveillance video indistinctly shows Etherly on the hood of a police cruiser. "At that point, (the officer) throws a tremendously fast fist to Leo Etherly's eye, causing permanent partial blindness," said attorney James Egan. But the best video of Etherly's Oct. 6 arrest would be from the police officer's own dashboard camera. Etherly says he was first choked then knocked out, and didn't realize the extent of what happened until he saw the dash cam video. [...] Late Monday afternoon, Seattle police released a brief statement saying that Egan has already received a copy of the dash cam video, but will get another copy through the Public Records Act when the department's process is completed.