A handful of Pennsylvania State officers are under fire this
month as attorneys review video showing arrestee Robert Leone being beaten to a
bloody pulp.
Leone, 33, filed a federal lawsuit against cops after the
March 2010 arrest, when he alleged that he was Tasered, hog-tied and assaulted
after a low-speed car chase, the Daily News reported.
A 75-minute video of the incident (clip below) went viral on
YouTube after it was released last month. The footage, taken from a dashboard
camera in one of the police cruisers, appears to show an officer jumping from
the top of Leone's car onto his back, while others give him a barrage of feet
and fists, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin.
Further audio recording reveals one of the officers
screaming at Leone in a profanity-laced outburst.
"Who do you think you're messing with?" One
officer says in the video. "We're the Pennsylvania State Police ... it's
not just some chumps."
The angered cop accuses a sobbing Leone of spitting on him.
The lawsuit alleges that Leone -- who already had "a
swollen eye, lacerated wrists, multiple Taser marks, dried blood around his
nostrils and bruises on multiple locations of his body" -- was further attacked
and Tasered while lying on a hospital gurney later in the evening.
One officer also reportedly broke his hand on the back of
Leone's head, and was taken from the scene by an ambulance that was supposed to
pick up the battered Leone, WBNG reported.
Leone was convicted in August 2010 of assault on an officer
and three other charges stemming from the incident. Prosecutors said he was
carrying the prescription drug Adderall in his car at the time of his arrest.
He was granted parole in March, but is still in prison
because there's no agreement on where he'd stay if released.
WBNG reports that Leone's family believes authorities want
to keep their son imprisoned for the maximum four years so that the statute of
limitations against the troopers involved runs out and they won't face
punishment.
Citing the pending litigation, Maria Finn, Spokesperson for
the Pennsylvania State Police refused to answer any questions from The
Huffington Post on the case, including whether any of the officers involved
will face criminal charges or if any of them are still on duty. She also
declined to address the accusation that authorities want to keep Leone in jail
so that the troopers won't be sanctioned.