Now this from KTLA news:
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced at a news conference that he's charging Officer Manny Ramos with one felony count of second-degree murder and one felony count of involuntary manslaughter. He faces a maximum of 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
Officer Jay Cicinelli is charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of use of excessive force, Rackauckas said. Cicinelli faces a maximum of 4 years in prison if convicted.
Both were set to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
"Police officers have the right to use reasonable force in the performance of lawful duty. But citizens have the right to self defense , even against the police," Rackauckas said while detailing the July 5 incident.
According to Rackauckas, Officer Ramos lifted his fist at Kelly Thomas and told him he was "getting ready to 'f' him up."
Ramos grabbed his baton, causing the 37-year-old Thomas to put his hands up in a defensive manner, and ordered him to the ground.
Officer Ramos swung his baton, chased Thomas and punched him "several times in the left ribs after tackling him to the ground," he said.
Ramos put his hand over Thomas' neck and pinned him to the ground, using his body weight, as other officers responded to the scene, Rackauckas said.
Arriving officer Joe Wolfe responded by using force after receiving a call for help from officer Ramos. There was no evidence to suggest he knew what had transpired prior to the call for help, Rackauckas said.
Officer Cicinelli arrived and kneed Thomas twice in the head and shocked him with a Taser 4 times, he said, adding that the fourth time included deploying taser darts into Thomas. Cicinelli then used the head of the taser to strike Thomas in the face 8 times while he was pinned to the ground by other officers, he added. Thomas, who had screamed out for help, fell silent while being beaten, Rackauckas said.
We can only hope this leads to closer scrutiny in all law enforcement-involved killings, and maybe perhaps another look by the DA at Zac's case.
