Ohio officer seen striking man on video suspended

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

A suburban Cleveland police department has suspended a white officer without pay for 15 days after he was seen in a cellphone video repeatedly punching and hitting a black man’s head on pavement after a traffic stop for a suspended driver’s license.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer announced the suspension at a city council meeting Monday, saying it was the maximum number of days he could give officer Michael Amiott under departmental rules. Meyer said he would recommend that the city’s mayor impose an additional unpaid suspension for the Aug. 12 incident.

The cellphone video viewed more than 7 million times on Facebook has sparked outrage across the country. A police dashcam video shows Amiott wrestling 25-year-old Richard Hubbard III to the ground within seconds of ordering him to “face away” after Hubbard steps out of the car.

The police union that represents Amiott did not respond to a message Wednesday seeking comment about the suspension.

Hubbard’s attorney has said the dashcam video clearly shows Amiott didn’t give Hubbard a chance to comply. The cellphone video shows Amiott punching Hubbard more than a dozen times and hitting his head on pavement several times. Some of the punches came after it appeared that Hubbard had spread his arms out while lying on his stomach.

Euclid police initially said Hubbard refused to follow orders and resisted.