Trial for man beaten by Austin police set to begin

KXAN-TV
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Federal court on Monday is set to hear the 2005 case of a man beaten by three Austin police officers.

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Ramon Hernandez was beaten and shocked with a Taser during a September 2005 arrest for leaving the scene of an accident, a charge that was later dismissed. That following March, two of the officers involved were found not guilty of official oppression.

Only one of the three officers involved in the case still works for the Austin Police Department. Christopher Gray got his job back after serving a 70-day suspension. Officer Joel Follmer was fired, and Brad Heilman resigned.

Yet for Ramon Hernandez, his family and attorneys, the case was never over. They have waited nearly three years for this civil trial.

Video from a dashboard camera showed Ramon Hernandez as he was handcuffed, with his face in an ant bed, and shocked with a Taser 11 times. He was also kicked and punched more than a dozen times.

"I forgive them for what they did in my heart, and with my faith, we all make mistakes, we're all human," Hernandez said.

Yet as he sat with his attorneys Friday, Hernandez said he still wants justice to hold them responsible for their actions.

"Civil rights trials define what is acceptable in our community," said Amber Vazquez Bode, attorney for Hernandez. "They're here to draw the line in the sand and say this is what we accept from our police officers, and this is what we don't."

Full article here.

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