Two deputies plead not guilty in videotaped San Francisco beating
By Curtis Skinner
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two San Francisco-area sheriff's deputies pleaded not guilty on Thursday to felony assault charges stemming from the brutal beating of a suspect last year that was captured on video.
There has been a growing cry over police use of excessive force after the killings of several unarmed suspects, which have triggered protests across the country over the past two years. San Francisco's own police chief stepped down last week after months of mounting protest over police shootings and a scandal over racist text messages by police officers.
The two Alameda County Sheriff's deputies charged in the videotaped beating, Luis Santamaria and Paul Wieber, both pleaded not guilty to assault under color of authority, assault with a deadly weapon, and battery with serious bodily injury in the arrest of Stanislav Petrov, San Francisco District Attorney's Office spokesman Max Szabo said.
Attorneys for the men could not be immediately reached for comment.
Michael Rains, an attorney for Santamaria, told the San Francisco Chronicle after the hearing: "Police use of force is disturbing. ... That doesn't make it illegal, and that's the difference. The fact of the matter is use of force may well be lawful, and often it is."
Authorities said Petrov fled from police in a stolen car early on Nov. 12, causing a deputy to suffer minor injuries after Petrov rammed a police cruiser, and then led officers on a high-speed chase before he crashed into a parked car and fled on foot.
A security camera video, which went viral after it was uploaded on YouTube the day after the incident by the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, shows Petrov running into an alley, where he is tackled by one of the two deputies.
The video shows the deputies punching and hitting Petrov with batons at least three dozen times as he screams "I'm sorry," "Help me" and "Oh my God." Petrov tries to stand, then seems to surrender while shielding himself from the blows.
Prosecutors said Petrov suffered a concussion, multiple broken bones in both hands, a mild traumatic brain injury and deep lacerations to his head.
Authorities are investigating separate allegations that a veteran deputy bribed witnesses to the beating, a claim that Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern called "horrific." No one else has been charged in the case.
Santamaria, a 14-year veteran of the department, and Wieber, a three-year veteran, are both free on $140,000 bail. Their next court date is set for July 19, Szabo said.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)
