Inclusion Daily Express -- Officer's Lawyer Accuses Donovan Jackson Of Lying About Video-Taped Arrest

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Officer's Lawyer Accuses Donovan Jackson Of Lying About Video-Taped Arrest
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
January 12, 2005

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA--A lawyer representing an Inglewood Police officer is accusing a teenager with developmental disabilities of deliberately lying to juries about his treatment during a video-taped arrest 2 1/2 years ago.

Donovan Jackson was arrested on July 6, 2002 for attacking officers Bijan Darvish and Jeremy Morse outside a convenience store after he had been asked to sit in a squad car while his father was issued a ticket for expired license tabs. An amateur videotape of the arrest, showing officer Morse slamming the hand-cuffed 16-year-old onto the back of a patrol car and repeatedly punching him in the face, was broadcast on television news stations around the world.

Officer Morse was fired and charged with using excessive and unnecessary force. Those assault charges were dropped last February after two separate trials ended in hung juries.

Officer Darvish was suspended and charged with filing a false police report. He was later acquitted on that charge.

The Daily Breeze has reported that attorney Corey W. Glave, representing Darvish, asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley last Friday to investigate Jackson for up to seven counts of perjury.

Jackson's inconsistent testimony -- about which officer struck him, how many times he was struck, whether he followed officers' instructions, and whether he was unconscious during parts of the arrest -- was believed to have been the primary reason for the hung juries.

In a letter to Cooley, Glave claimed that Jackson's conflicting testimony had nothing to do with innocent mistakes or him having trouble remembering the event. Instead, Cooley argued, the perjury charges and evidence "indicate the calculated, malicious effort of this young man to obstruct justice and mislead finders of fact in order to obtain financial gains."

Jackson's family has said they believe the teen may have responded slowly to officers' orders because of his disabilities.

During one trial, a special education coordinator testified that Jackson's disabilities affect how he processes information, making it difficult for him to follow directions, remember events and to express himself.

Related:
"Lawyer accuses teen in rough Inglewood arrest of perjury" (Daily Breeze)
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/1182227.html
"Donovan Jackson' Arrest" (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/laws/djackson.htm

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