Police officer filmed repeatedly punching black driver is fired

Michael Amiott dismissed from Euclid Police Department after footage released of brutal attack on Richard Hubbard III in suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, in August

Michael Amiott, who was fired from the Euclid Police Department, at a public library in Euclid, Ohio, in April (Euclid Police Department/AP)

A police officer in Ohio who was recorded beating a black motorist during a traffic stop in August has been fired, officials said.

The officer, Michael Amiott, was terminated from his job with the Euclid Police Department on Friday, Mayor Kirsten Gail said in a statement emailed on Tuesday.

Amiott, who is white, had been on disciplinary suspension after a video surfaced in August that showed him beating an African-American man, Richard Hubbard III, after pulling him over in Euclid, a suburb of Cleveland.

The video shows Amiott punching Hubbard in the head and face more than a dozen times, even when Hubbard is prone on the ground. It was taken by a bystander and posted on Facebook, and the police department also released a version.

Gail said in her statement that Amiott, 31, had been suspended for “rule violations” since then but that her office had continued to receive complaints of other episodes of professional misconduct.

“After a review, I found Amiott to have violated additional departmental rules, including Conduct Unbecoming and Courtesy, calling into serious question his suitability as a Euclid Police Officer,” the mayor said in her statement.

A staff member at her office said by telephone the mayor would have no further comment. Calls to telephone numbers listed under Amiott’s name were not answered, and a spokesman for the police department did not reply to an email and voicemail messages.

According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, Amiott received four letters of reprimand and one formal citizen complaint in his three years as a Euclid officer, but he was never disciplined beyond written citations.

He was cited for pistol-whipping a driver with a handgun, mishandling evidence, losing his temper in front of his commanding officer and being involved in two crashes in police vehicles, the AP reported.

On Tuesday, Christopher McNeal, a lawyer for Hubbard, said in a telephone interview that Hubbard, 25, a welder, had been treated in the hospital for “bodily injuries” and released. He had pleaded not guilty to misdemeanours, including resisting arrest and driving with a suspended license.

His girlfriend, Yolimar Tirado, was also arrested during the traffic stop and was charged with misdemeanours, McNeal said.

McNeal has filed a motion to dismiss the charges.

“In its broader context, there are some serious questions regarding the patterns, the practices and the customs of the Euclid Police Department using excessive force against its citizens, especially the African-American citizens,” McNeal said.

The arrest of Hubbard set off protests in Euclid, a city of about 48,000, and calls for a thorough response by the authorities. The city’s chief of police, Scott Meyer, said at the time that he wanted to assure everyone that the incident would be investigated.

“I can understand and appreciate the great concern and alarm of those who have seen or heard of the videos involving the arrest of Richard Hubbard III,” he said.

Meyer had suspended Amiott for 15 work days, and Gail had extended the suspension for 30 more days, saying then that she would make a further decision on his case by 15 October.

David Trend, the president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the interests of police officers, could not be reached by telephone on Tuesday.

In August he stood by Amiott after the video surfaced, saying in a statement published by local news outlets that raw video of police officers using force to subdue those who resist arrest “can be difficult to watch.”

“Everyone has an opinion about how much force is necessary and how much is too much,” he said. “It’s easy to provide commentary after the fact. It’s not easy being in the moment, on the street, trying to keep our community safe.”

He added: “Officer Amiott faced just such a situation and responded in a manner that he felt necessary.”

James Hardiman, the President of the NAACP's Cleveland branch, said in a statement that the organisation was aware that the union was trying to contest the termination. He applauded the mayor’s decision as a “step in the right direction.”

The New York Times