Man Beaten, Arrested for Carrying Legal Gun -- or I'm from the government and I'm here to help..
Posting here to go with our other discussion about why people sometimes don't trust the police --- and why sometimes doing nothing wrong and complying with all the officers requests still gets your arse beat.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/i-th...-to-the-blaze/
http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/u...PM-620x345.png(Provided by Zachary King)
Yesterday, we brought you the story of Zachary King, a 35-year-old man from Minneapolis, Minn. who was reportedly beaten and arrested on Father’s Day night by a group of five police officers after they discovered a gun on his waist, seemingly ignoring the fact he was in possession of a valid concealed carry handgun license.
(Related: ‘It’s My Gun’: Minn. Man Beaten, Arrested For Reportedly Carrying Handgun… Despite Having Concealed Carry Permit)
In an exclusive interview with The Blaze on Tuesday, King addressed some unanswered questions about the incident while maintaining he did nothing wrong. Now, he wants to see the Minneapolis Police officers brought to justice.
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Zachary King (Source: WCCO)
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(Source: WCCO)
Why did police stop him in the first place?
After leaving a local nightclub, King said he was walking down a Minneapolis street heading towards his truck at around 2:45 a.m. when he observed some police officers in front of him, which he says “wasn’t a problem” because he was doing nothing wrong.
Before making it to his vehicle, though, one of the officers stopped him and asked, “Hey, what’s that bulge under your shirt?”
King said he put his hands in the air and informed the officer that he was in possession of a handgun and a legal concealed carry permit. His permit does not expire until 2017, he said.
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Zachary King's permit to carry a pistol. (Provided by Zachary King)
“He did not ask first to see my permit, he did not ask to see my ID,” King explained. “He just grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the wall and snatched my gun from its holster, screaming ‘gun! gun! gun!’”
Four additional cops reacted to the commotion and began beating King and slamming his face on the ground, he said.
“I did not resist. I was telling them I wasn’t resisting,” he added. “I was asking, ‘Why are you guys doing this? I have a conceal and carry,‘ but they just kept asking ’Where?,’ still beating me.”
Eventually, one of the police officers went for his wallet and discovered the permit. The beating ceased shortly after, King explained.
When they pulled him from the ground, the pavement was soaked in his blood, he said. Though police wanted to take him straight to jail, he explained, a paramedic confirmed he was in need of medical attention.
“I felt nauseous, dizzy and faint,” King told The Blaze. “I was scared to go to sleep because I thought I wasn’t going to wake up. I thought I was going to die.”
Didn’t drink “one lick”
According to King, the reason he was at a local night club was to see a performance where his friend was working as a show promoter. His wife had suggested he “go have some fun” on Father’s Day, an already somber day considering King and his wife lost their 7-year-old son five years ago after their pit bull mauled the boy. (King was acquitted of manslaughter charges in that case in 2008.)
King says he had not been drinking any alcohol the night he was beaten and arrested and claims he took two separate breathalyzer tests, one administered by the police and another at the hospital. Both readings turned up zero traces of alcohol, he says, although that has not been verified by officials.
“I did not drink one lick at all … . I know I’m not supposed to when I have my gun,” King told The Blaze. “I wanted them to give me a breathalyzer because I knew I hadn’t been drinking anything and they have to try to find a reason for why they beat and arrested me.”
Michael Padden, King’s lawyer, told The Blaze on Tuesday he is trying to get the breathalyzer results released in order to corroborate his client’s story. Padden said he would make the results available to The Blaze once they are confirmed.
“I don’t think cops are bad”
King is charged with misdemeanor obstructing the legal process, which his lawyer argues is a nonsense charge that the Minneapolis Police Department uses when they have roughed up a suspect but have no case against them. Padden says the department has a troubled history of accosting people, particularly African-Americans, as nightclubs are closing.
King will appear in court for the first time on July 2. Padden said it is “probable” the city’s surveillance cameras caught the incident on tape, which he thinks will vindicate his client.
King was also arrested and not charged on April 29 after recording what he says was police brutality after cops allegedly beat his nephew. He was taken to jail and left in a cell for two days before being released. During that time, he said no officer explained the charges against him or told him why he was arrested.
Padden said he is looking into whether King’s recent arrest was some type of retaliation for the previous incident.
Still, King said, “I don’t think cops are bad.”
“There are bad cops just like there are bad people and there are good cops just like there are good people. I just want the bad ones brought to justice.”
Padden added that he and King are still discussing whether or not to file a civil rights lawsuit in the case.
“Zach is 35-years-old with no criminal history. None,” Padden explained. “Even if he didn’t have a conceal and carry permit, which he did, they still didn’t have a reason to beat him up.”
When asked if they would consider any type of a plea bargain, Padden replied, “There is no chance he will plead to anything – over my dead body.”
“Over mine too,” King added.
A spokesperson with the Minneapolis Police Department told The Blaze they can’t comment on the incident because King has filed an open review civil authority case, which is similar to an Internal Affairs investigation.
