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Shreveport Woman Beat By Cop While In Custody
http://cops-busted.com/articles/26/1/Shreveport-Woman-Beat-By-Cop-While-In-Custody/Page1.html
Cops Busted
Cops Busted is not about bashing the Police, but that few bad apples. For the most part, most Police Officers are respectable, but in current years I am not happy with the trend and course Law Enforcement has taken. Did they forget they are Public Servants - To SERVE and PROTECT! Cops are not above the law, nor are they better than other people. 
By Cops Busted
Published on 05/8/2009
 
Officer Wylie Willis has been fired after an incident in which Angela Garbarino, a female prisoner taken into custody on suspicion of DWI, wound up lying on the floor of the police station in a pool of her blood.

Now fired, Officer Wylie Willis says the woman fell, but she says he beat her when the camera was of

Officer Wylie Willis has been fired after an incident in which Angela Garbarino, a female prisoner taken into custody on suspicion of DWI, wound up lying on the floor of the police station in a pool of her blood.

Much of what happened was recorded on a videotape, but there is a gap of undetermined length. During that time, the woman wound up injured. She said she was beaten up; the officer said she fell.

Angela Garbarino was arrest for DWI by Officer Wylie Willis of the Shreveport Police Department, but she never expected that she would leave from a police holding room on a stretcher with two black eyes and broken teeth. Garbarino said that after the arresting officer turned off a monitoring camera, he slammed her against a wooden door and then against a metal locker.

Angela Garbarino also admitted that while the camera was off she tried to leave the room despite orders from Officer Wylie Willis to stay put. Garbarino spoke to "Good Morning America" for the first time about what happened during those minutes that the camera was turned off. "It was very painful," she said. "Officer Willis came over to me at the chair. He threw me against the door. He slammed me against that black file locker [seen in the video]."

Garbarino, who described the incident as "a nightmare," contends that Willis physically abused her, but Willis' attorney said she was inebriated and disorderly.

"Although unfortunate, her injuries were caused by her own erratic behavior and her failure to comply with lawful, reasonable and standard instructions for persons under arrest," said Willis' attorney Eron Brainard in a statement to ABC News. "Officer Willis was presented with an intoxicated and extremely belligerent female criminal suspect who had just been arrested by other officers for the highly dangerous offenses of Driving While Intoxicated."

Though police and Garbarino agree the situation was uneasy, Garbarino said she was not so drunk she couldn't recall the incident.

"I remember everything," she said. "I wanted to make a phone call and he wouldn't let me. I repeatedly asked him why he wouldn't let me make a phone call. He just ignored me."When pressed on whether she tried to leave the room, Garbarino paused and answered, "Yes."

Garbarino said her injuries included two black eyes, two broken teeth and bruises on her arm and shoulder.

Her attorney Ron Miciotto said his client also suffered a broken nose and a severe cut on her forehead. He added that once Willis turned the video camera back on, Garbarino could be seen lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Viewers can see him checking his hands to see whether blood is on them, Miciotto said.

"On three occasions he looks down on his hands to see if there is any blood on his hands," Miciotto said.

Authorities fired Willis after the incident and he is contesting his dismissal. Willis may be bolstered by the support of his police union.

My Opinion

DWI, or any driving while Impaired is definitely a serious crime. Next time you think about drinking while impared, think about someone crashing into your kids, wife or parents!

That being said, Wylie Willis (the ex-cop) should be arrested for Felony Battery! Firing him is not enough. This woman was handcuffed, and clearly weaker than him. If he could not control her with minimal force or even verbal commands, he should have called for another officer to assist him or placed her into a holding cell.

Officer are not paid to force people to do things, but to enforce laws. If the arrestee was not complying with his commands, then she is not cooperating and therefore refusing the breath test (which is why she is in the room to begin with). He should have just taken her into a holding cell and shipped her off to the main jail. If he need assistance, and restraint beyong the handcuffs, then he should have called for another officer and held her there until assistance arrived.

Feel Free to leave your educated comments below.