First Video of the FPD Beating Emerges

Read more about the Kelly Thomas beating

Here is the video that the Thomas family released to the media yesterday. We’ve added some captions to clarify the audio, which may be difficult to hear without headphones.

It is not immediately apparent what the police are doing in the video, but it is clear that Thomas was already on the ground and that the officers were top of him when the video starts.

The audio consists of commentary from distraught onlookers while Kelly Thomas is screaming in pain and then crying out “Dad! Dad! Dad!” before the video ends.

Email the City Council and demand justice NOW! Council@ci.fullerton.ca.us

90 Replies to “First Video of the FPD Beating Emerges”

  1. This is a hoorible event that didn’t have to happen. I wish this on no person. I plead with the others that witnessed this horrible event to please come forward and put this terrible crime to rest. Thankyou tony for your interest.

  2. Oh dear lord. I had imagined what it sounded like, such anguish. His screams will haunt me.
    FPD, man the F up! Own up to what you did, cowards!!!
    I am so sorry for his family to ever have to see this video and for the rest of their lives hear him pleading for his dad. That was a HUMAN, somebodies SON!!!! In a world where death row inmates get private bed and counseling and 3 meals a day for DECADES, and a homeless kid gets beat to death for what? Petty theft without having ever been tried??!!??
    YOU COWARDS, FPD!!!!!

    1. I agreev100%. Cops are killing people in jail and allowing them to die. Police corruption need to stop. Before civilians take matters into their own hands. Then where will we be. People are starting to not trust our police officers and their here to protect us not kill us or our loved ones.

      1. don’t worry Norma, after our worthless Governor signed the new get shot first,
        then return fire law, you will soon be able to take matters into your own hands. There won’t be anybody left that wants to be a cop. Good luck!

  3. This is sickening. I think I can make out an arm swinging a flashlight or a baton. Go to YouTube and view it full screen.

  4. Why is the OCR or the LA TIMES not picking this up?

    Is the Fullerton Police Officers Association that strong? If it is, this only further soils the reputation and perceptions about public employee unions.

    This is an amazingly powerful event.

    1. The mainstream media don’t want to follow this stuff. They want to glorify public safety workers as heroes. I’m not sure why, but it must have to do with what kind of reporting they think people want to consume.

      I noticed today that all of Fullerton liberals were over at the library opening this morning, no doubt patting themselves on the back for the wasted resources poured into an anachronism. How many of them have bothered to show some solidarity against police brutality? NONE.

      Admin, how about a post on that topic?

  5. Travis, Thanks for pouring your heart and soul into these stories of corruption and violence within the ranks of the local police department. While people are quick to point out these same behaviors and violations in the LAPD and other departments, it is dispiritng that it would be allowed to fester here. Bad cops, bad behavior have no place anywhere, and in fact, those same bad cops make it hard for the good ones we know.

    I hope the City Council doesn’t see this as a problem dredged up and upsetting only FFFF readers, hence, relegating the blog to the scrap heap of humanity that the entrenched perceive it to be. It isn’t. There is real corruption, brutality, and the violation of civil rights happening here. The residents deserve better.

  6. Thanks for posting the video, “on the record.”

    I didn’t view the video, I didn’t need to. The quoted cries of anguish from the young man victim (who unfortunately – innocently suffered from schizophrenia, a mental illness which leads to odd but NOT criminal behavior) were entirely sufficient to convey the fact of this brutal crime to me.

    The first witness who came forward, Mark Turgeon, should (in the fullness of time) be HONORED in some OFFICIAL manner by our City Council.

    There are so many utterly PHONY “honors” heaped upon all the featherbedded and vastly over paid government employees, and for nothing but the bare minimum performance of their often phony unnecessary “jobs” whereas, Mr. Turgeon was certainly (also) a vulnerable individual, but he took it on himself to risk real retailation (from the politicized Government-Union Thugs – please do not pretend not to recognize this FACT of who we are seeing in this crime video), in order to bravely speak the truth.

    Mr. Turgeon is a REAL hero of our City.

    The Government-Union Thugs on this film should be arrested for murder and put into jail, and ALL of the Government-Unions in Fullerton should be decertified and disbanded immediately.

  7. Thank you Mr. Bushala and FFFF so much for posting this. Your interviews with Mr. Turgeon and Mr. Thomas were very good and insightful as well. Your coverage of this has been the best so far out of all the media including the mainstream

    To add to Mr. Serra’s comment… Not even the OC Weekly has had anything on this… I was fully expecting a huge expose this past Thursday in the new edition…but nothing. What the heck is going on with the media on this? That’s another aspect that needs to be looked at.

    I hope this isn’t the only video available of this horrible chapter in our town’s history. But the comments of the bystanders pretty much says it all doesn’t it? If this turns out to be the only video and audo available (and I doubt it) you can isolate and enlarge the area where the police and Kelly are to try to get a closer look.

    More of my thoughts on this at http://www.thedailybosco.com

  8. this is not the 1st time fpd has done awful things to the homeless. 1 officer didnt like my friend and he injured him self and arested my friend for it.

  9. Wow. Disgusting.

    This reminds me of when the Fullerton PD beat the living shit out of me. I was lying on my stomach with a cops boot pressing the side of my face into the asphault, with several other officers on top of me beating the shit out of me and they kept telling me to “STOP RESISTING ASSHOLE! STOP RESISTING!”

    I still do not understand how I could have possibly been resisting while I was lying there limp while they beat the crap out of me.

    Of course, I was never charged with Resisting Arrest, so I suppose this is just FPD protocol – yell out “STOP RESISTING” while they’re beating someone so it makes their actions appear justified.

    Horrible. Disturbing, and fucking disgraceful.

      1. Or to put it another way: “resist” (i.e. keep breathing) and you might end up dead. Just depending on how the cops feel on any given day.

  10. Yes obey all their commands. Because the FPD GED cops will crush your skull just for kicks. In fact they’ll do it even if you do comply – just for kicks.

      1. No GED cop, they are not the law. You are hirelings employed to uphold the law. Of course this huge distinction is lost on the GED Cop Junta that has taken control of Fullerton.

    1. This seems to be the problem. These Killer Klowns think they’re the judge, jury and executioner. Any perceived “contempt of cop” is now punishable by summary execution.

      We tried the “democracy / presumption of innocence” thing for a couple hundred years and I guess it didn’t work out. From now on, we’re just going to steal a page from Syria’s playbook.

      Maybe this is all part of some big plan to save money on the courts. Instead of doing their jobs by arresting people, gathering evidence and writing reports for the DA, the FPD will institute a new policy of simply killing anyone who looks at them funny.

      Thanks for clarifying, John Doe. Aren’t you supposed to be writing a parking ticket somewhere?

  11. this is murder – murder by being tortured to death. Nobody involved in this should be still breathing by the end of the year. Unfortunately the strongest legal sanction is death by lethal injection which I hope they receive, but true justice would demand they be whipped to death in public.

  12. Shame on FPD. Shame on his dad. Where has Dad been for the last few years while his son was everyone else’s problem but his? If Dad put 10 percent of the energy he is putting in now, while his poor son was still alive, this wouldn’t have happened. The whole thing is disgusting.

    1. Since you know nothing about the family I suggest you just keep your self-righteous thoughts to yourself.

      The issue here is police brutality.

  13. Strange how people forget the injuries sustained by the police officers trying to take this guy into custody. I guess broken limbs and facial fractures mean nothing. Yeah, don’t get me wrong, he didn’t deserve to die. I don’t believe for a second the coppers were trying to kill him. I do believe they were trying to take a violent person into custody.

    People seem to forget police work can get ugly, fast yet they want the streets and their property to be safe. People want the police work to get done, they just don’t want to see how it’s done.

  14. Didn’t his own parents had a restraining order against him? Interesting…now they want to get all the money they can from the tax payers because he was amped up on drugs (very likely), or psychologically screwed up (often a cause for super-human strength) injured two officers during the “struggle,” – no, a down right FIGHT, and it wasn’t his fault… yeah, right! His father knows this stuff – he’s a former cop, isn’t he?

  15. There where no injured cops !!! It was a lie !!!!
    It was clearify on july 22
    Y people keep trying to justify those coward animals ?????
    As a parent of a 9 years old boy with disabilities im haunted for this video and disgusted with people who is trying to justify those cowards .
    I wake up every day and before I go out I prepare myself to c people watching my baby only bcse he acts diferent. My son will never b a treat for anybody , but he will be very reluctant to follow orders from animals like those on the video only bcse he will b to scare to do so. That means for u ( parent of a normal kid ) that my son deserves to be tortured to dead ???
    Can u hear him screaming for his dad ?? Can u ??
    Shame on those cowards and people who try to justify them !!!

  16. It’s one thing to say it was unjustified due to the sheer brutality involved. It’s another thing to say it was unwarranted. The cops had severe injuries from this psycho: One had a broken arm, another facial fractures and yet a third had broken ribs. I don’t think that the guy should have gotten beaten this bad, but something went haywire in his brain. If five tasers didn’t take him down, it was clear that just to get the guy into custody required excessive force. What were their other options? Tranquilizer dart? They don’t have those for civil liberty reasons. Shooting the guy? Not allowed. (Though a single shot in this case probably would have saved his life.) I do think that this is very excessive. There just should be some way for the police to deal with people like this better.

    One thing for sure, the state and county let this guy down. Even if he refuses treatment, someone this sick should not be given that option. This is a man who needed care badly and every government agency and law turned their back on him in the moment of need. We need to change the laws on involuntary holds and make it so guys like this can actually get treated. Wouldn’t that be cheaper, anyway?

    1. Who told you about these alleged injuries? It’s all bullshit. The cops spokeshole admitted a couple of cops suffered “soft tissue” injuries. Probably inflicted by their fellow cops.

    2. P.S. Who said he was “this sick?” By all accounts he was a peaceful guy. More police propaganda.

  17. Shame on u j!!!!!
    There where no injuries . U and the others are helping to keep those animals away from justice.
    People with disabilities don’t understand about force to calm them , animals like u may . If a cop isn’t ready to deal with innocents on the street he shouldn’t b cop.

    And my best friends in the US are 2 cops and one has a boy with disabilities too.

  18. Yes, officers were injured – I helped treat two of them at the hospital and one was severely injured by blunt force trauma. Don’t speak out of ignorance about things you know nothing of. You create these stories in your ignorant minds out of partial truths, and simply don’t like police officers because they keep you from doing the unlawful things you want to do. Grow up. Become active participants in society instead of takers..

    1. Which hospital? I think we need to take a look at those records. Till the documents are produced it’s a lie. Dont worry I’m sure I can find out by myself. You should have expected us.

  19. Wiser ? I use my name Andres Ruiz and a NYPD detective and a Brooklyn task force are between my best friends here. So even if I don’t believe newspapers and I believe u , there where not broken bones as first describe by police. Let me ask u something did u treat Kelly at the hospital too ? If the answer is no please check the picture of him after they torture him to dead
    And since u talk about unlawful stuff why I use my real name and u “wiserthanyou”

  20. Well America, you doing anything about the corruption yet or still waiting for other people to stand up and do it?

  21. I have only one question. Instead of bragging that he had a youtube video, why didn’t the by standers call 911 and say “hey your guys are beating someone to death and it’s going to be put on youtube?” I’ll bet it would have gotten the attention of the night commander. Yes, the FPD is screwed up but so are the people who just stood by and watched. Did anyone try calling the local News channels, or for an ambulance, it is our apathy and greed that is destroying our country.

    1. You can’t be serious. Tell me you’re not serious. Blaming the bystanders when six cops armed with Tasers and loaded pistols are bludgeoning some dude into a coma.

  22. There were no injuries to cops beyond bruises according to an inside source of ours-friend who dates a Fullerton officer. She got the full scoop. No injuries that could not be treated at home according to the girlfriend. name withheld here of course.

  23. Giving these rookies a badge and a set of keys to a patrol car is obviously not the way to do things fresh out of the academy. Make them ride with veteran cops for atleast six months. Then put them behind the wheel . Im sure that veteran will test them in his own way , and school him right. All i know is these rookies that did this fu%#^d it up for the whole FPD, do you know how many other instigators are out there waiting with there cameras just itching for the cops to pull another stunt like this. It would be smart if FPD gave all the rookies a lil time off and the veterans some OT.

    1. Go back to school. Do you really think this 135 lb. man was able to “instigate” anything?? Against 6 grown, “trained”, well paid police officers. Are they that anxious to brutally beat an unarmed man because they need time off? We are already spending more money on these fools then they are worth – lets give them the rest of their lives off without overtime!

  24. Look wiser than you…the officers were at work the day after this happened. Your treatment was a cover-up and no one is interested!

  25. The cops involved in this horrific crime are nothing but “Dirty Pigs”. They should be prosecuted and sentenced to life behind bars. I can not believe the FPD has allowed these pigs to continue patrolling our streets. Just remember officer.”What goes around comes around…………..”

  26. Fire those officers this is going on too much lately we all have a tough life with the economy but killing a man is no excuse

  27. I have emailed your city council and all I can say again is What happened to the oath taken to protect and serve….not harrass and kill. May God bless the souls of these men.

  28. Lock the savages up, take away their pensions, throw away the key. If this is how far we’ve come – we’d be better off policing ourselves. Certainly the crowd of witnesses had more compassion then the cowardly, brutal, thick headed, stupid thugs that murdered this poor man. The City Council needs to completely clean house, and these 6 pure devils should have already been locked up weeks ago.

  29. about 2 yrs ago i witnessed my husband get dragged around and stomped on in the midddle of the street in daylight by to officers. one of the officer states he tried to
    “arrest him” but that my husband did not coaperate! that was B*S!! he never once told my husband to stop or let him know he was being detained, he actually told us he was free to leave and he didnt have to talk to him, later he states my husbadn ” attempted to jay walk” theres no such law … everything was being recorded by the fullerton police dept… even when the officer told him he wasnt being detained and was free to leave.. but as soon as he started to walk away to get in my car, the officer tried to tackle him for no resaon stating he was “attempting to jay walk and that he had broken the law”.. so two officer struggled with my husband on the florr pushing his head towards the concrete with there knees as the offices held his arms. we went to court ti fight it, teh arresting officer lied, and was later played the recording and then he changed his story. judge dismissed all charges against my husband! FULLERTON POLICE ARE CROOKED, THEFTS AND LIARS!! THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY ALL DESERVE!!

  30. Although this incident is incredibly horriffic, and should never have occurred, IT DID OCCUR! How and why is this sort of brutality allowed to continue?
    This sort of relentless beating (even after subject is unconscious) seems to be the”M.O”of the F.P.D. , as well as many other police departments across our entire country.
    What, have they stopped requiring mandatory psychiatric evaluations for prospective officers before they attend formal academy training?
    It almost appears that this is the case…that some very important testing/evaluation is either lacking,or is very deficient.
    I know first-hand that at least the C.H.P. requires very stringent psychiatric testing and evaluation BEFORE SETTING FOOT ON ACADEMY GROUNDS!
    Every officer involved(directly or as an inactive witness who did nothing to stop this killing) should be removed from the police department, sued by the family of the victim, and charged with 2nd degree murder with the maximum prison sentence available!!!

  31. These officers are clearly emotionally disturbed and need to have psychological evalutions. This should have never happened!!!

  32. Soooo disturbing!!! That could not be procedure!!!!! WTF…. the people filming should be ashamed of them selves as well. what kind of society do we live in that people stand around and allow this injustice to take place! who gives a fuck if they are cops if something seems wrong speak the fuck up!!!!Anaheim PD is dirty as well! and all the b/s will come to light soon!!!!

    1. This is a good example of why the public should be allowed to carry firearms. If ony one civilian on-looker had a gun he could have saved Kelly Thomas’ life.

  33. The actions perpetrated on this individual are despicable and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I do recognize that Police have a dangerous job and are subject to a varying degree of stressful situations. We, the public, therefore expect the people hired to have been psychologically evaluated and professionally trained to deal with these situations. These officers beat a man brain dead all under the “color of authority”. What makes what happened here any different from what happened to the Giants fan that was brutally beaten by more than one person at Dodger stadium? Ohhh..the beaters weren’t cops and the beatee is still alive. Police are the largest gang operating “legally” in the United States.

  34. heres a wild idea!! we give the chieF of police and the mayor a resaonable 72 hours to release the viedo and names of all 6 officers involved in the beating or else we RIOT!! lets burn teh station down!!! theyre roaches and rats anyways… we’re taking back OUR CITY! THE CITY IS OURS!! WE’RE CALLING THE SHOT NOW!!!

  35. its scares me to think that these baboons that the city of fullerton hire as peace officers are supposed to serve and protect when they cant even collectively subdue one man

  36. It appears that this man was tortured and murdered by a gang of thugs. If true, those responsible, (who are supposed to protect citizens, not kill them) should be life in prison or the death penalty. For the police to do this is even worse than for ordinary people to do it. Police who stood by and watched should loose there jobs and be charged with conspiracy to commit murder. We need to send a message that this is COMPLETELY unacceptable and will never be tolerated.

  37. It is not enough that the police brutalize the latino and black communities.

    Now they are going after the white community. THis behavior is not new to communities of color.

  38. Joey, it’s not right no matter who the citizen is. Police must use minimal force and inflict minimal harm and pain. And yes, the bystanders are not completely innocent. We must get together as a community to make an example and show this will never be tolerated. Then, people will feel more empowered to question police brutality. But, if these cops get away with it, citizens are justifiably afraid to get involved. The comment about a citizen with a gun stopping it is not realistic. The cops would have killed him, too. The police need to know that citizens will send them to prison or worse. Then they will realize they need to “serve” and not to abuse.

  39. Are the SIX SICK BASTARDS…that killed this poor man….going to jail….or is something else going to happen to the PIGS…

  40. My son, Craig Prescott, had been employed with Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department and worked as a custodial deputy for more than nine years. In 2006 he was forced to resign by fellow deputies who accused him of bringing in illegal contraband into the jail. Although charges were never filed and he was not arrested, a warrant for his arrest was issued but never served. Craig had been a whistle blower and divulged to the Grand Jury, NAACP and several other agencies that there was much corruption in the department. Without regular income and because of the unfairness he experienced when he loss his job, Craig became deeply depressed and developed mental illness. His family sought help from the DA and local police. Because we wanted him to get help, with our assistance, Craig was arrested after he violated a restraining order by texting his wife. After spending five days in county jail, Craig was killed by eight deputies in his own cell. I believe my son was murdered by thugs dressed in uniforms. They tried to cover up their evil deed by dragging his lifeless body into a safety cell. Deputies accused him of being combative. The video is on You Tube which shows my son’s body lifeless and not voluntarily moving. His wife, six daughters, brothers and mother have been living through a nightmare since April 13, 2009, the date of his death. Not one deputy missed a minute’s work so that a thorough investigation could be conducted. There is no justice in Stanislaus County for my family.

    1. Marilyn, I’m very sorry to read about what happened to your son. Unfortunately it’s further confirmation that California is indeed a police state.

      The police and prison guard union is the most powerful lobby in the state. They have influenced the elections of the majority of our state assembly and our state senate.

      Wake up people!

  41. Thanks Curious. I am determined to make it my life’s mission to expose these evildoers. I do not fear retaliation or death. My failure to stand for justice causes me more fear than the actions of wicked organizations. I would love for them to sue me. I will tell the world how these thugs not only took the life of my mentally ill son, but are even willing to take his widowed mother to court in order to obtain all she has. I am sure the Supreme Court would hear my case. I will not be intimidated by thugs. I believe what you wrote is true but I am a believer in Almighty God who is the Ancient of Days and sees all. His influence will overwhelm any attempts they make to influence corrupt lawyers. Thank you for showing your support for righteousness.

    1. Here is the link to the Craig Prescott video:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSVPZMtlFa0

      It looks like a cop mosh pit. This police brutality business is way out of control. Understand, this is what they do to one of their own.

      My condolences to you, Marilyn. Blessings on you. I wish you well and all the best, with all my heart.

      There will be justice.

    2. God be with you Marilynn as you look forward to the day that you and your son, Craig are reunited and God shall wipe away every tear.
      As a mother my heart goes out to you and I pray you know you are not alone in any way, Selah.
      I am sorry beyond words for your loss.
      Stay strong.

    1. Mrs Prescott you’re probably going to see several nasty comments about your son in the next coming hours or days. Keep in mind that because the internet offers anonymity people are going to say things meant to get a reaction and hurt your feelings (Its often referred to as trolling).

      Don’t take it person, just ignore those idiots and stick to your guns.

      Thank you for taking the time to post here and sorry for your loss.

  42. Oh Marilyln, kisses to you and my deepest condolences- i just heard about this today-thats what we protest on this site and protesting with our signs on saturdays-justice. Those Nazi gestapo are not going to get away with this crap-not in America and not anymore. As you can see, there are many others who feel the same way-you arent alone-this wont be tolerated- keep making the noise-we’re here and we’re not going away.

  43. Marilyn,

    My heart is filled with sorrow for your loss. The indignity and injustice done your son cry out for the scales to swing back into balance. As merijoe said so well and others have indicated also, you are not alone in this fight. Beware your feelings though, dear. There are some unscrupulous people trolling here who may insult you, but more here are good
    honest people who share your desire for justice and accountability from ‘Law’ Enforcement.

    God be with you,
    Xer

  44. Thanks to everyone for your support. As you may have noticed from all I have written on the internet and from radio interviews, I refuse to be quiet and I do have a very tough skin. I know what the end result will be. When you tell the truth, no matter the opposition, the truth will stand. But liars will always falter, no matter how calculated and conniving their stories. The problem occurs when they cannot get the made up facts to add up. A jury will never be convinced that 2+2=6.

    1. Who is the judge?
      The judge is God.
      Why is He God?
      Because He decides whether I win or lose, not my opponent.
      Who is your opponent?
      He does not exist.
      Why does he not exist?
      Because he is just a mere dissenting voice to the truth I speak.

      ~
      The Great Debaters

  45. @# 76
    Dear Mrs. Prescott, I would like to send my deepest condolences for the loss of your son.
    I am outraged and heartbroken to see the video and dumbfounded to realize that those murdering thugs have not been charged with anything!
    I am at a loss for words and just am convicted it is time for us citizens to move forward, in the fight for justice, for Kelly, Craig and all the other poor, brutalized people at the hands of our SUPPOSED law enforcement!
    God bless you, Mrs. Prescott, you will be in my thoughts and prayers, as I have been praying for the family of Kelly…..

  46. sorry to be so blunt but why is everyone so upset and shocked by this murder? the police and state militias in america have been murdering civilians since the beginning of the 19th century. this is not new or surprising devleopment so why is everyone acting so shocked? Americans have a corrupt government run by corporations and a court system that is run by former prosecutors. the legal system is just there to create the appearance of some sort of justice. conviction rates are over 99 percent and the world’s largest prison population is the result. even that is just a business for the corporations. Amercians have allowed this to be their norm so they should stop whining about it or do something about it. sorry to be so blunt.

    1. I don’t want to derail this thread, and I know your intentions are good, but….

      conviction rates are most certainly NOT even close to 99%. That is totally absurd.

  47. You are probably right Laosuwan. Until it becomes personal, most people are completely in the dark. My son tried to do something about the corruption and brutality by filing a federal complaint and as a result, the system failed to protect him from the retaliation he had to endure. When opportunity presented itself, he paid the ultimate price for crossing the proverbial blue line with his life.I pray God will give me the strength to do something about it by continuing to seek justice. I may not win but I am willing to fight the battle until death. Sometimes a message spoken bluntly might not be heard any other way.

  48. This is happening across America. Still think we don’t live in a police state? The US is fast becoming like the Germany just before WWII.

  49. To answer the question asked earlier: The name of the hospital is (Modesto) Doctor’s Medical Center. And the name of the ambulance company who received the call is AMR (American Medical Response). The hospital is owned by Tenet and is contracted with the county to care for inmates.

  50. As a white female I was victimized by a Mexican rookie who was exercising his proverbial new found police muscle over someone he knew he could over power. He hand-cuffed me and tried to slip my diamond ring off my finger. Does that make you mad? It made me angry but I knew not to fight because I knew it would look like I was resisting. I went to the PD to file a complaint and when I arrived the person at the front desk asked if I was the girl who was claiming that the same rookie had grabbed my breast?!? Hmmmmm. Seems like this rookie has a promising future with the PD! Scumbags. Incidentally I was told that what happened never happened. (guess that makes me a crazy, a liar or both!). Wake up people.

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