2 Investigators, BGA: Lynwood Police Investigate Brutality Claims
(CBS) -- A man arrested by Lynwood police says he was beaten by officers while he was in handcuffs.
2 Investigator Pam Zekman and the Better Government Association have been working for a year to get videotape of the alleged incident.
"I was helpless. I was scared. I was scared. I was crying," says Randolph Holmes. "It was messed up."
It happened a year ago when Holmes was charged with aggravated battery, for allegedly spitting on a Lynwood police sergeant.
In surveillance video, Holmes can be seen being handcuffed by Officer Kayvon Karimi. Holmes is intoxicated and arguing with Sgt. Brandin Fredricksen, just before Fredricksen slams him into a door.
"I asked him to stop being racist, because he was being very racist," Holmes says.
In the hallway, Karimi used a pressure point in the neck to control Holmes.
In the original report, Officer Karimi wrote that Holmes resisted arrest and was threatening Fredricksen, so officers were "forced to regain control of the subject by taking him to the ground."
Later, another camera in the police garage picks up what happened as Sgt. Fredericksen walks Holmes to his police car.
"He turn around and hit me with the elbow like this and I fall to the ground. And he punched me multiple times," Holmes tells Zekman.
Hospital records show Holmes suffered a concussion and broken nose.
Last month, Lynwood officials interviewed Sgt. Fredricksen's former partner, who admitted he left a crucial fact out of his original report: that Holmes was handcuffed before the alleged abuse began, and that he found Holmes in the garage screaming he was knocked out by Fredricksen.
Officer Karimi, asked to explain the omissions, reportedly admitted "he felt threatened by Sgt. Fredricksen," who told him "you better make this sound good."
"It's hard to justify the amount of force this police officer used. It's harder to justify the failure of the police department to take it seriously, to hold him accountable and to investigate it properly," says the BGA's Andy Shaw.
Following many media and BGA inquiries, Sgt. Fredericksen was placed on paid administrative leave in July while the village investigates whether disciplinary action should be taken.
"If evidence shows he wrongfully broke this guy's nose, they're going to try and terminate him," Lynwood Village Attorney Michael Marovich says.
Officer Karimi left Lynwood and now works at the Homewood police department. He says he reported what happened to Lynwood police officials and "I was told it would be handled."
Holmes, who has an extensive criminal history, recently pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of resisting a police officer in this case. He was sentenced to one year in prison, but given credit for the time he spent in jail waiting for or the case to be tried. He is now suing Lynwood.
