>>> On July 6, 2002, local and LA police in Inglewood, California, were investigating a car with expired tags at a gas station. Donovan Chavez, the teenage passenger of the car, allegedly became "combative," and a cut above the left ear of officer Jeremy Morse lends some credence to this claim. However, by the time an amateur videotape captured the altercation, the teen was cuffed behind his back and had clearly been subdued. That's when he was beaten. As the Associated Press reported:

The videotape was taken by a tourist Saturday at a motel across the street from the gas station where the arrest took place. It shows the teen hoisted to his feet by Morse and slammed onto the trunk of a police car.

The officer put a hand on the back of the teenager's neck, slugged him with his other hand and then appeared to choke him. Two officers appeared to intervene, with at least one trying to pull away the first officer's arm.
> "Calif. Officer Suspended Over Beating" by Paul Wilborn, Associated Press, 8 July 2002.

The video captures below show Chavez being picked up, then punched, choked, and dragged by his necklace. However, there is no image of him being slammed face-first onto the trunk of the car. (If anyone has captures of that portion, please send them.)

[see the film of the beating] [also here]

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