Video Shows Police Beating Black Man at Cleveland Traffic Stop
A routine traffic stop quickly turned violent, as a witness video showed a police officer punching a driver that he pulled over for charges of driving under suspension. The video has quickly spread on social media over the weekend before the police department released their own footage of the incident.
The video, which has reached 7 million views as of this time, has become viral as online users commented on the rough handling of an otherwise unremarkable police pull-over. The officer, who intercepted Richard Hubbard III as he drove through the Cleveland suburbs of Euclid, initially searched for the man for a license.
Hubbard, a black male at 25 years of age, was driving a 2011 Hyundai whose owner turned out to have a suspended license, according to police accounts. At this point, the video showed the officer launching Hubbard to the ground before punching him repeatedly.
The officer later arrested Hubbard for resisting arrest and driving under suspension. The police released a dash-cam footage on Monday, Aug. 14.
Both locals and city officials were loudly questioning whether the police officer had the justification to resort to a forceful arrest. Hubbard appears to be passive in withstanding the officer's assault, as shown in the footages.
Euclid Mayor Kirsten Gail noted how the incident brought up some questions that need to be answered by the local police. "The videos of the incident on Saturday morning raise some very serious concerns," Gail said in an undated statement.
"We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all use of force by police are both lawful and justified. I can assure you the incident will be reviewed thoroughly and appropriate action will be taken," the Mayor added.
