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Donovan Jackson' Arrest

Sixteen-year-old Donovan Jackson, who reportedly has a developmental disability, was arrested by Inglewood, California police in July 2002. A video-tape of the arrest, showing an officer slamming the hand-cuffed teen onto the back of a patrol car and repeatedly striking him on the face, was broadcasted on television across the country.

2005
May 31: Inglewood Takes Own Lawyers To Court For Losing 'Reverse Discrimination' Case
March 9: Donovan Jackson Family Settles Federal Civil Rights Suit
January 20: Officers In Donovan Jackson Arrest Win $2.4 Million For Reverse Discrimination
January 12: Officer's Lawyer Accuses Donovan Jackson Of Lying About Video-Taped Arrest
2004
February 6: Assault Charges Dropped Against Officer Morse In Donovan Jackson Arrest
January 22: Second Trial Begins For Cop In Donovan Jackson Arrest
2003
July 30: Jury Deadlocked In Donovan Jackson Beating Case
July 10: Donovan Jackson's Testimony Is Unreliable, Inglewood Cops' Defense Claim
February 18: Officers In Donovan Jackson's Arrest Sue City For Discrimination
2002
July 17: Video Tells Only Part Of Story
July 10: Video-Tape Captures Police Beating Hand-Cuffed Teen

Video-Tape Captures Police Beating Hand-Cuffed Teen
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 10, 2002

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA--Last Saturday, a tourist video-taped an Inglewood Police officer slamming 16-year-old Donovan Jackson down onto a police car and then punching him in the face -- while he was handcuffed.

Police Officer Jeremy Morse was suspended on administrative leave while the police department, district attorney and mayor's office investigate the incident. Some are comparing the incident to the 1991 video-taped beating of Rodney King Jr, because Jackson, who is black, was beaten by Morse, who is white.

"It was wrong," said Jackson, who reportedly has a developmental disability and is a special education student, at his attorney's office Monday.

According to the Associated Press, the video was recorded from a motel across the street from the gas station where the incident took place. It shows Jackson being pulled to his feet by Morse, then slammed onto the trunk of the police car. The tape also shows Morse putting a hand on the back of Jackson's neck, slugging him with his other hand and then trying to choke him.

Two other officers intervened, with at least one attempting to pull Morse away from Jackson.

It is not yet known what happened before the tourist began video-taping.

According to Jackson's attorney, Joe Hopkins, the teenager and his father, Coby Chavis, had pulled into the convenience store to gas up their car and so Jackson could get some potato chips. When Jackson came out of the store two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were investigating Chavis' car which had an expired registration.

Jackson asked what the deputies were doing, and was told to stay back from the car.

A police spokesperson said Jackson then lunged at one of the deputies. Jackson was arrested, handcuffed and placed in the squad car.

When Inglewood officers arrived on the scene, Jackson stood up. A deputy grabbed him by the neck and the city officers began beating Jackson, Hopkins said.

Hopkins said Jackson had worn a heavy chain around his neck and that the officers dragged him by it until it broke.

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Video Tells Only Part Of Story
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
July 17, 2002

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA--The stories behind the July 6 beating of Donovan Jackson are beginning to reveal much more than the video-tape shows.

Jackson, 16, was handcuffed by Inglewood police when a tourist video-taped officer Jeremy Morse lifting Jackson from the ground, slamming him onto the trunk of a squad car and then punching the teen in the face.

The incident has been replayed on television news programs across the country. Some have mentioned that Jackson has a developmental disability and is a student in a special education program. Most focus on the fact that Morse is white and Jackson is black, comparing the incident to the videotaped police beating of Rodney King Jr, in 1991.

Jackson reportedly came out of a convenience store to find Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies investigating an expired registration on a car that belongs to Jackson's father. The deputies said that Jackson assaulted them after he was told to sit in a squad car.

Inglewood police, including officer Morse, arrived on the scene and attempted to hand-cuff Jackson.

That's when Mitchell Crooks heard screams and began videotaping the incident from across the street. His two-minute recording captured images of Morse striking the hand-cuffed teen.

Over the weekend, Inglewood officer Bijan Darvish reported that he, too, punched Jackson in the face two times before the teenager was hand-cuffed.

"I yelled at Jackson to let go of my uniform; however, he refused," Darvish said in the report signed by himself and officer Morse. "Fearing that Jackson would pull me into him and strike me with his other hand, I punched him two times in the face, using my right hand," said Darvish.

Jackson's attorney, Joe Hopkins, told the Los Angeles Times he believed that two other officers "took turns" beating his client before the videotape began.

Last Thursday, Crooks was arrested after police found that he had drunk driving, hit-and-run and petty theft charges stemming from a night of reckless behavior in Los Angeles three years ago.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that more than a dozen complaints of excessive force have been filed against Inglewood officers in recent years. Those claims reportedly included police breaking noses, knocking out teeth or otherwise mistreating arrestees. Many of the alleged victims said they were assaulted by the officers after verbally challenging them or not immediately doing what they were told.

None of the accused officers have been charged with crimes, in part because the Inglewood Police Department has not referred any of the cases to the district attorney's office.

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Officers In Jackson's Arrest Sue City For Discrimination
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
February 18, 2003

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA--Two Inglewood police officers involved in the July arrest of 16-year-old Donovan Jackson have filed a lawsuit against the town claiming reverse discrimination.

Jackson, who is black and reportedly has a developmental disability, was arrested for assaulting officers outside a convenience store when asked to sit in a squad car.

A videotape of the arrest, showing officer Jeremy Morse slamming a hand-cuffed Jackson onto the back of a patrol car and repeatedly punching him in the face, was broadcasted by television news stations across the country.

Morse was fired from the Inglewood Police Department and charged with assault. Officer Bijan Darvish was suspended and charged with filing a false police report. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are suing to get their jobs back and for compensatory damages.

In their suit, Morse and Darvish claimed the city treated them unfairly because they are white. They said that a black officer who struck Jackson with his flashlight was suspended for only four days and faced no criminal charges. Morse and Darvish accused the city of disciplining them based on political pressure rather than department policy.

The videotaped scene reminded many of the well-known 1991 police beating of Rodney King Jr. Four officers accused in King's videotaped beating were later acquitted, sparking violent riots in Los Angeles.

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