New story from the big guy bullying little guy files
Published on Apr 15, 2015
The latest incident: a clip showing veteran Denver police officer Choice Johnson shoving an apparently passive LoDo patron down some stairs.
The act has earned Johnson a thirty-day suspension.
The incident took place this past July 26 outside 1Up, a popular arcade, bar and restaurant located at 1925 Blake Street.
According to 7News, which has the scoop on the story, Brandon Schreiber, 29, was celebrating the bachelor party of his brother at the venue.
By 11:30 p.m. that evening, Schreiber's brother was asleep at the bar, having apparently overindulged, and as a couple of security guards were in the process of escorting him outside, a report accessed by the station says the man "verbally challenged" one of the bouncers.
At that point, Officer Johnson, an eleven-year veteran of the DPD who was working an off-duty gig at 1Up, took control of the situation, cuffing Schreiber's brother and calling for a vehicle that would carry him to detox.
Outside, Schrieber tried to talk Johnson into releasing his brother in a conversation that ended with the officer knocking Schrieber backward down some stairs with a two-handed shove.
In his report about the incident, Johnson claimed that Schrieber had taken "a fighting posture, 'pushed his chest out in a defensive manner' and told him 'Don't put your hands on me,'" 7News points out, quoting the report.
However, the footage clearly demonstrates that Schreiber was standing in place with his hands in his pockets at the time he was sent flying.
Statements from the disciplinary order against Johnson include: "He makes no threatening gestures or movements toward Officer Johnson.... The video does not support Officer Johnson’s claim that (Schreiber) ‘pushed his chest out in a defensive manner."
Schreiber was arrested after hitting the deck and charged with resisting police and interfering with a police officer. But those charges were dropped, and Schreiber has contacted an attorney who advised him not to comment for the 7News story.
As for Johnson, his thirty-day suspension begins on April 19.
Johnson's career with the DPD has seen highs and lows. 7News notes that he's received sixteen commendations, but been the recipient of six prior disciplinary actions.
yeah,I figure that police unions, if they have a say, are going to be against CCTV and bodycams because eventually all the cameras may reduce the need to have as many cops on the beat. Unions are not going to work against their own interests but as more and more of these cases of cops exposed for lying on reports surface, going to harder for them to justify opposition to body cams.
