A former Thai police chief who went on the run after allegedly torturing a suspect to death has surrendered. Thitisan Utthanaphon, nicknamed “Jo Ferrari”, admitted to mistreating the suspect but denied any corruption. He spoke to the media in an unusual press conference organized by the police on Thursday night. Mr Thitisan had fled his post after a video showing the apparent torture and killing of a drug suspect was leaked, causing public outrage. The footage, which was reportedly filmed by a junior officer, shows several policemen wrapping plastic bags around the head of a 24-year-old arrested for selling methamphetamine … Continue reading Update: Wanted gangster cop surrenders after manhunt

Investigators in Thailand are hunting for a now-sacked police chief after a video went viral showing the apparent torture and killing of a drug suspect. Police searched the Bangkok luxury estate of Thitisan Utthanaphon – widely known by the nickname “Jo Ferrari”. He and six others are accused over the fatal incident earlier this month. CCTV footage posted online appears to show the suspect being ordered to pay $60,000 to have charges dropped before he is suffocated with a plastic bag. On Wednesday a search of the police chief’s mansion in Bangkok revealed 13 luxury cars. A day earlier Mr … Continue reading Gangster Cop: Thai police chief, known as Jo Ferrari, wanted over viral torture clip

Five police officers in Florida have been charged with battery connected to the violent arrests of two Black men last week. Surveillance video showed an officer chase Dalonta Crudup, 24, into the lobby of the Royal Palm Hotel in South Beach in the early morning hours of July 26. The officer ordered Crudup onto the ground at gunpoint, and Crudup complied. Moments later, more than a dozen other officers ran into the lobby to surround Crudup, who could be seen on the ground with his hands behind his back. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a news conference on … Continue reading Five US police officers charged over violent arrests of Black men

At least six nationals of African countries have been injured during a scuffle with police in India’s southern city of Bengaluru over an alleged custodial death of a Congolese student, an official says. Joel Shindani Malu, 27, was detained by police on Sunday over charges of possessing a small cache of banned psychotropic ecstasy pills but died in custody early on Monday after suffering cardiac arrest, an officer said on Monday. “He was diagnosed with Bradycardia and was administered with several rounds of CPR [Cardiopulmonary resuscitation] and other life-saving interventions but died due to a suspected cardiac arrest,” the officer … Continue reading Congolese man’s death in police custody sparks protest in India

A Colorado police officer has been arrested after being filmed threatening to kill a man during an arrest. Body camera footage shows Aurora policeman John Haubert using a pistol to strike the man, saying “if you move, I will shoot you”. The arrest comes amid intense scrutiny of police misconduct in the US following the 2020 death of George Floyd, which sparked national protests. A second officer has also been arrested for failing to stop Mr Haubert. Footage played for the press on Tuesday shows Mr Haubert repeatedly saying “stop fighting” as the man tells him “I can’t even breathe” … Continue reading Colorado officer arrested after threatening to shoot suspect during stop

A former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer was sentenced to more than four years in prison Tuesday for his role in the 2017 beating of a Black colleague who was working undercover as a protester. Randy Hays, 34, admitted to hitting the undercover officer, Luther Hall, with a baton and shoving him to the ground even though Hall was not a threat or resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to using unreasonable and excessive force. In court Tuesday, Hays apologized to Hall and said, “I am a good person, but I made a mistake,” the St Louis Post-dispatch reported. Hays, who was … Continue reading A former police officer jailed for beating an undercover black officer

All 19 workers at a fast food restaurant in Pakistan were detained after refusing to give a group of police officers free burgers last week. Staff at the chain Johnny & Jugnu in Lahore were rounded up at 0100 (2000 GMT) on Saturday and held overnight. “This is not the first time something like this has happened… at our restaurant,” a statement by the burger chain said. Nine police officers involved in the incident have now been suspended. Senior provincial police official Inam Ghani announced the suspensions on twitter, saying: “No one is allowed to take the law into his own … Continue reading What?: Fast food staff arrested for not giving police free burgers

An African American woman who says her wrists and ankles were shackled by police for hours while she was in active labor at a hospital has settled with the City of New York and its police department. The woman was arrested two days past her due date in late 2018 on a misdemeanor assault charge that was later dismissed and sealed, her attorneys told CNN. She went into labor the day of her arrest, according to a lawsuit. She filed the suit against the city of New York and several New York Police Department officers anonymously in October, seeking damages … Continue reading Woman shackled by police while in labor settles with New York City

A US jury has found a former police officer guilty of murder over the death of African-American George Floyd on a Minneapolis street last year. Derek Chauvin, 45, was filmed kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during his arrest last May. The widely watched footage sparked worldwide protests against racism and excessive use of force by police. Chauvin was found guilty on three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He will remain in custody until he is sentenced and could spend decades in jail. The 12-member jury took less than a day to reach their … Continue reading USA: Jury finds Derek Chauvin guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd

Tear gas has been fired and a curfew imposed amid angry protests after police fatally shot a black man in a traffic stop in the US city of Brooklyn Center, just north of Minneapolis. The man has been identified by relatives as 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Brooklyn Center’s mayor issued a city-wide curfew until 06:00 (11:00 GMT), telling people to “be safe, go home”. Tensions in Minneapolis are high as the trial of the former officer accused of killing George Floyd takes place. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was “closely monitoring the situation” and praying for Mr Wright’s family. Hundreds of … Continue reading Protests near Minneapolis after police killing of black man

The police officer who pepper-sprayed an Army officer during a traffic stop last year has been fired, the Windsor Police Department announced on Sunday. Joe Gutierrez was one of the two Windsor police officers caught on camera pointing their guns at Caron Nazario, a second lieutenant in the Army, at a traffic stop at a gas station in December. In body camera video shared online by The Associated Press, Gutierrez is also seen pepper-spraying Nazario multiple times, after one of the officers attempted to open his car door. In a statement released on Sunday, the Windsor Police Department said it conducted an … Continue reading Update: Virginia officer who pepper sprayed Army officer fired

Body camera footage has shown US police officers handcuffing and screaming at a five-year-old boy who had walked away from his school. The video, released on Friday by police in Maryland, shows the two officers telling the boy’s mother that she should “beat him”. The incident from January 2020 is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the child’s mother. Her lawyers allege that the child suffered emotional trauma. The officers from Montgomery County Police Department had found the child a few streets away from the school and the body camera video shows him crying in the back of a … Continue reading What a shame: US police bodycam video shows officers berating child aged five