Bratton Calls Beating ‘a Mess’

Police Chief William J. Bratton told the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday that the televised beating of a car-theft suspect was tactically “a mess,” citing several points during the incident when officers made poor decisions.

Bratton’s presentation, his most detailed and critical explanation of the June 23 incident so far, was followed by pointed questions from several council members, including why officers involved in the incident were not immediately separated from one another.

“It is a mess,” Bratton said. “It is not what we teach at the academy.”

The beating took place shortly before 6 a.m. after LAPD officers chased a car-theft suspect named Stanley Miller along the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton. With two TV stations broadcasting the chase live, Miller jumped out of his car and ran down the side of a concrete wash in Compton.

The videos first show Officer Phillip Watson pulling out his gun, then reholstering it before tackling Miller to the ground.

Bratton said that initial action differs from police policy.

“That is nothing we teach,” the chief said.

Rather, officials said, an officer in that situation should have held his gun on the suspect while other officers handcuffed him.

The video then shows a second officer, David Hale, jumping on Miller. Then Officer John Hatfield is seen running up, kicking at Miller and hitting him 11 times with his flashlight as the man lay on the ground.

“We don’t teach kicks,” Bratton said. “In the space of five seconds, he managed to deliver 11 blows.” And police don’t know where those blows landed on the suspect, he said. “We want forensic evidence on the flashlight to indicate whether the suspect was struck in the head. Similarly with the boot.”

Bratton’s presentation included diagrams, pictures and the video -- all flashed onto the council’s series of giant TV screens. He said the entire incident unfolded in less than a minute, with the foot chase covering 638 feet in 36 seconds.

Bratton told council members that search warrants had been used to seize Hatfield’s boots and flashlight. A grand jury subpoena was issued Tuesday for the original television footage. The chief said a version of the videotape in the Los Angeles Police Department’s possession has been broken down into 15,000 frames to allow careful analysis.

He said Miller was initially taken to the Southeast Division station, then to Parker Center before being taken to White Memorial Hospital for observation. Bratton described Miller’s injuries as minor.

“He had [an] abrasion of the chin or cheek. Some reddening of the nose. Some bruising on at least one of his shoulders,” the chief said. Miller’s attorney has insisted that his client, now in a state prison in Chino, shows signs of brain damage.

Since the incident, internal affairs investigators have canvassed the neighborhood five times for witnesses, Bratton said.

The chief told council members that at least three supervisors took it on themselves to immediately notify management and investigating authorities of the incident -- an indication, he said, of a change in the department’s culture.

Council members peppered Bratton with questions.

Councilman Jack Weiss asked why it took 45 minutes after the beating for LAPD managers to separate the seven officers and one sergeant involved. Weiss questioned whether the officers should have been separated right away to avoid any appearance of collusion.

In response, Assistant Chief George Gascon told the council the officers were not separated immediately because that is required only when dealing with a so-called “categorical use of force” -- one likely to lead to serious injury. He said Southeast Capt. Sergio Diaz decided to separate the officers after 45 minutes out of an abundance of caution.

Weiss grew frustrated when LAPD officials could not give him answers to specific questions about the timeline of the incident and whether evidence was properly gathered at the scene.

In an interview after the hearing, Weiss said the separation issue is important because Hatfield has reportedly told investigators he struck at Miller because Officer Hale screamed “Gun!” when he mistook a wire cutter he felt in the suspect’s pocket for a firearm. This version of events has been confirmed by other officers at the scene, sources told The Times.

Miller, through his attorney, has denied possessing a wire cutter. Gascon told council members the tool was taken from Miller, and a “slim jim” -- a metal strip used to break into cars -- was recovered at the scene.

Despite some criticism, some council members came to the defense of Bratton, who later gave a similar presentation at the First AME Church to the citizens panel that Mayor James K. Hahn appointed to review the beating investigation.

“In the first couple of days, this is a very solid effort by the chief,” said Councilman Martin Ludlow.

Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD sergeant, told Bratton it was important to consider the morale of the police force as he conducts the investigation. “It is important they feel it is not a witch hunt,” Zine said.