Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton on Thursday identified the eight officers involved in the controversial capture of a suspected car thief -- including the LAPD officer videotaped by TV news cameras repeatedly striking the African American suspect after he appeared to surrender.
The officer seen striking the man 11 times with a flashlight was identified as John Hatfield, 35, a seven-year veteran of the department.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday June 26, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 30 words Type of Material: Correction
Videotaped beating -- An article in Friday's California section about the controversial arrest of a suspected car thief misspelled Jennford Bail Bonds in South Los Angeles as Gennford Bail Bonds.
"I got nothing to say to you guys," Hatfield said Thursday afternoon, answering the door to his apartment in a converted Victorian house in Redondo Beach. He was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and a backward baseball cap.
"You guys are going to have to talk to my attorney," he said. "You're going to have to talk to the [Los Angeles Police Protective] League."
Hank Hernandez, the league's general counsel, said Thursday that the distance from which the video was taken made it difficult to fully understand the circumstances of the arrest.
"What concerns the league, and we have seen it time and time again, is that influential people in the community and the media will express opinions based on their review of a videotape that is not based on the entire facts of the incident," Hernandez said.
Hatfield's attorney did not return calls seeking comment.
Bratton said three officers -- including Hatfield, whom he identified as Latino -- are being investigated by the LAPD for excessive use of force. The eight officers at the scene have been placed on desk duty pending criminal investigations by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which has jurisdiction in Compton, where Miller was arrested.
"This is a test. It's a challenge," Bratton said at a news conference, where he was flanked by his top deputies and Mayor James K. Hahn. "This city has spent a fortune -- has engaged in the last 12 years in trying to erase the stain of the Rodney King issue, erase the stain of the Rampart issue."
Wednesday's arrest was videotaped by cameras aboard news helicopters from KABC-TV Channel 7 and KTTV-TV Channel 11 news shortly before 6 a.m.
Stanley Miller, 36, led police on a car chase for about 30 minutes before stopping at a dead-end street, jumping from the car and sprinting alongside a concrete flood channel at Compton Creek.
After a short footrace, Miller was seen raising his hands in the air and appeared to be ready to lie down when two officers pinned him to the ground. A third officer, Hatfield, was seen running up to Miller, first kicking at the prone man, then appearing to strike him 11 times with a metal flashlight.
