An Internet Publication for Real Americans Published on: 02/01/2001 02:46:02
- CALIFORNIA POLICE-STATE COVER-UP -
The ULTIMATE "Murder By Badge"
By Mel Young - Posted: 02.01.01Unarmed man shot over 100 times by police.
Hello out "there", does anyone give a damn?
The victim of this most heinous crime and cover-up was a white, American male. That means, he had no civil rights. That means the Reeeeevvveeerrrrreeeennnnnnddddd, raaaaaaaaaaaacist Jackson wouldn’t lift his little finger in response, let alone get out of bed with his concubine to race to California with Maxine Waters and Al Sharpton sucking up behind him. Jesse didn’t make that pile, estimated to be over $27 million bucks, standing up for white folk who had their civil rights violated and their lives taken by the militarized, police-state thugs with badges and guns.
Being a white male, the victim deserved no respect from the major media. Sure, an article was buried in the LA Times Metro section. There may even have been some short blurbs; the police version, of course, on the evening news, but, since the cops said this man was a freeway shooter and suicidal, that was all she wrote. I mean, what the hell, we all know that a smiling, usually female or minority "spokesperson" for the cops wouldn’t lie to us, would they!
And, we’re not talking about one or two rogue cops here. We are talking about at least twenty-two officers and possibly, many more from three distinct agencies; all involved in the massive cover-up. Those agencies include the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Hawthorne Police Department. There well may have been others, but this is a start.
Back before Christmas, I received an e-mail from Constance Flaum, mother of the victim, pleading for someone; anyone, to step up and get involved to bring the doers of this foul deed to justice. What I read in that initial plea for help sickened and disgusted me and I responded.
Previously, a number of "honest" cops, former cops, forensics experts, crime scene investigators, and even the Chief Medical Examiner of the County Of San Bernardino, sickened by what they heard, had volunteered to help. Some came from other parts of the state and some well may have come from other states. They were not welcomed with open arms by the powers-that-be.
Naturally, the police were not friendly. The "brotherhood" was protecting its own - oaths of office, the public trust, honesty, integrity, etc., be damned.
The crucial video tape taken by the roving, independent, night television news crew had been confiscated. The crew had been frightened to the point where they had nothing to say.
Paramedics who rushed to the scene and pronounced the victim dead had been hushed up and would not talk to anyone.
The victim’s mother paid an attorney a hundred bucks to get her a complete copy of the police report but the 440 page report she received is incomplete with numerous pages missing. The "official" police report is so full of obvious distortions, errors, and blatant falsifications that it’s more like reading fiction than fact.
The only cooperative agency, according to the mother of the victim, was the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. Their autopsy report is some 88 pages in length.
ATTEMPTED CITIZEN’S ARREST OF OFFICERS INVOLVED. At one point, desperate for some sort of action to be taken against the officers involved in the murder, the mother and widow of the victim served arrest warrants at the Hawthorne Police Department, Lennox Substation of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and to the California Highway Patrol. Naturally, they were all but laughed out of those agencies, who had no intention of allowing a citizen to arrest one or more of their own. Nothing came of the attempt.
WIDOW BOUGHT OFF...LAWSUIT DROPPED. Sadly, the victim had not been very wise in the way of the world and had "fallen" at age 27, for a woman twenty-two years his senior with a new facelift, and had married her. One could speculate as to what might have driven the poor guy to drink in the first place but I won’t get into that here.
Allegations have been made that the widow, about 61 years old at the time of death of her husband had at age 39 some slightly shady business dealings in her past, involving her real estate business. She made a quick, out-of-court settlement with the sheriff’s department for $70,000 bucks and an agreement that they would not look into her past financial dealings.
With her acceptance of the payoff, the lawsuits were dropped. Under California law, only the spouse or child of a legally married person may bring a wrongful death lawsuit. The cops figured they were home free for that seventy grand.
BLATANT INDIFFERENCE AT ALL LEVELS. Letters were written to Governor Davis, Attorney General Dan "run-with-your-guns" Lundgren, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the major television networks, and then on to Soddom-on-the-Potomac; including Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Attorney General Janet Reno and Chief Felon, Bill Clinton. NOTHING! NADA! NOT INTERESTED! No black or Hispanic votes to be gained here for the Democrats, so no need to respond.
The early volunteers who had looked into this came up with sufficient evidence to open a grand jury investigation, bring out Reno and her civil rights dogs and raise all sorts of hell, but it never happened. After all, as I stated at the beginning, taking action over the mere shooting, 106 times of a white, unarmed male; a man with no criminal history, was not on the agenda of the crooked politicians and the socialist.
I replied to Connie’s plea for help. Here’s hoping this humble piece will raise some hackles, induce some indignation and bring about more help. The more I heard, the more it stunk to high heaven, and so, I would hope this will do the same for you, so let’s take it from the top, as best as I can piece together what others have come up with, as of this writing.
THE BEGINNING. Early on the morning of March 27, 1998, shortly after 2 a.m., Michael "Buzz" Arnold, a white male, aged 39, stopped his new Lincoln Town Car at the side of the transition road from the southbound San Diego Freeway to the eastbound Century Freeway near La Cienega Blvd. As near as can be pieced together, Mr. Arnold, a recovering alcoholic, had become terribly nauseated and disorientated from the interaction of at least three prescription drugs he was taking, and alcohol he had consumed the previous day and / or possibly, earlier that evening. No one seems to know why he had suddenly started drinking after four months of sobriety and his doctor, who had seen him earlier on the 26th, said he appeared to be in good spirits and certainly not suicidal as claimed by police.
Later, the police said that for nearly an hour, he appeared irrational, straddling a railing at one point, looking as though he might jump from the transition road to the street below. At other times, he was described as waving what looked like a handgun. According to the Los Angeles Times, quoting police sources, "He appeared to be suicidal, sitting on the railing as though he were about to jump and pointing the gun at his head."
JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES.
The California Highway Patrol, which has jurisdiction on the freeways, had originally responded, joined by units of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Apparently, Hawthorne Police joined into the frenzy and disputes arose over jurisdiction. At one point, the CHP supposedly was going to withdraw because of the jurisdictional problems and the general mess created as a result. They did not do so.
POLICE COMMUNICATIONS WERE CONFUSED. Someone reported that the "suspect" had two guns, including a rifle. Others reported that Arnold had a gun in his hand. The Los Angeles Times reported, "Police radios crackled with reports of a man with a gun who was firing at a police helicopter overhead and at deputies on the ground. Two deputies below the freeway at La Cienega Boulevard and Imperial Highway fired at Arnold on the 100 foot high ramp. They reported hearing rounds from his weapon hitting the concrete and metal near them."
The Times went on to report that, "Several hours after the shooting, a Sheriff’s Department spokesperson told television reporters that deputies ‘were in obvious fear for their own safety and the safety of other citizens who may have been in the area.’
"The spokesman said Arnold "fired numerous rounds at the deputies on La Cienega and Imperial. He was a definite threat to those officers."
Still, a California Highway Patrol officer with a clear view of Mr. Arnold, stated that she did not see any firearm(s). Film footage of the incident, shot by the independent TV news unit showed Arnold pointing what appeared to be a handgun in the air; never at anyone else or at himself. That film was later confiscated by police and has never seen the light of day, since.
Numerous California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff units surrounded the area; apparently joined by Hawthorne Police. Since the independent TV news crew was speaking to Arnold from an estimated distance of 30 feet or so, they didn’t dare kill him on the spot. The crew said they saw no shots fired by Arnold and also told the police that they saw and filmed Arnold placing a BB pistol back in the trunk of his Lincoln.
Officers reportedly shouted to Arnold to get back in his car and follow them. He responded that he was too sick to drive. According to the witnesses at the scene, Arnold was told to shut up, get back in his car and follow the police, anyway.
At that point, about 3:05 a.m., Arnold called his wife on his cell phone and told her that he was sick, confused and that there were police everywhere shouting at him. She told him to drive to an off ramp and call her back and she would come to get him.
Meanwhile, it appears that what is known in police parlance as a "pow-wow" was being set up. The idea is to lead a victim to a remote area, away from public scrutiny, to either seriously damage him or kill him. This is speculation but the facts more than suggest the possible truth of the matter. It certainly wouldn’t be the first unlawful "tune-up" in the history of law enforcement.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. The following was pieced together by the volunteer experts from evidence, police reports, examination of the crime scene and eyewitness testimony before the eyewitnesses were suddenly frightened into shutting up.
Numerous police units in front of, alongside and behind Arnold, escorted him East on the Century Freeway to the next off ramp and then herded him to Prairie Avenue where one of the reporters said there were literally dozens of police units waiting.
Flanked on all sides like a wayward sheep, Arnold drove South to 118th street where he was forced to turn right (West) and then forced to park his car at the curb, adjacent to the Victor Meat Company, a wholesale meat distributor. A school occupied the South side of 118th street, so there were no residential or other buildings with witnesses available (the police thought). This movement was later described by police as a "low speed chase," despite their having ordered the victim to drive after he told them he was too sick to do so.
The police ordered the street lights in the area shut off. It’s unclear whether this happened before or just after the shooting.
With West 118th Street closed off at both ends by dozens of police cars, and all shining high beams and spot lights pointed at the victim, he was ordered out of his car. He complied, hands in the air, and stepped to the middle of the street, facing the main contingent of officers to the East, toward Prairie Avenue. Officers then ordered Arnold to turn around and walk backwards toward them.
Arnold started to comply, turning to his right. At that point, someone cut loose; the first shot blowing half of Arnold’s face off. Over the next twenty five to thirty seconds or so, THE POLICE FIRED OVER THREE HUNDRED ROUNDS AT ARNOLD. Some officers reloaded their weapons and fired again and again. An estimated 150 rounds that missed the victim traveled through the area, many striking Victor Meat Company trucks parked in their lot behind the plant. Others flew into a residential area with one round, known to have come from a police AR-15 assault rifle, penetrating the wall of a home and entering the bed of a 14 year old boy who was asleep at the time. He was not hit by the round.
I’m looking at a faxed copy of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Autopsy. It’s case number 98-02325, dated March 29-31, 1998.
"Death was due to "multiple gunshot and shotgun wounds." (No surprises there.)
I. Multiple gunshot and shotgun wounds:
A. Total number of all injuries ( entries, exits, and graze wounds ): 165
B. Minimal number of entry wounds: 106
1. Approximate number of fatal wounds: 55
2. Approximate number of nonfatal wounds: 51
C. Breakdown of entries by location:
1. Head/neck: Seven wounds with eight entries / re-entries (six fatal)
2. Torso: Fifty (50) entries (47 fatal)
3. Right upper extremity: Five entries (none fatal)
4. Left upper extremity: Five entries (none fatal)
5. Right lower extremity: 23 entries (two fatal)
6. Left lower extremity: Sixteen (16) entries (one fatal)
ALL ROUNDS ENTERED ARNOLD FRONT TO BACK AND LEFT TO RIGHT. Apparently, he was shot to doll rags before his body even had time to sink to the street.
Do we have a serious problem here, or is it just my over-amplified idea of what "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" used to be about? If the report above doesn’t make you sick to your stomach, then I don’t know what will.
Now, comes even more disturbing information.
After the shooting was over, police went door-to-door in the residential area a block or two away, asked if anyone saw anything, and then told them to stay away from doors and windows and do not attempt to risk looking out.
Meanwhile, back at the massacre scene, other cops had allowed paramedics to pronounce Arnold as being dead and then they were sent on their way. The entire scene was closed off tighter then Fort Knox used to be when we were still on a gold standard.
In preparation for falsifying the crime scene, the victim’s Lincoln was backed down the street temporarily, parked next to the storm drain located on West 118th, just around the corner from Prairie Avenue. What was left of the victim was dragged over to the sidewalk next to the Victor Meat Company and deposited between the curb and the six-foot chain link fence along the opposite edge of the sidewalk.
Police secured water hoses (believed to have come from Victor Meats) and hosed down the entire scene to remove the evidence.
After the area was hosed down, Arnold’s Lincoln was moved back to approximately it’s original location at the time of the shooting. It was now parked in-between the location of the actual shooting and the victim’s body, lying on the sidewalk between the car and the chain link fence.
Police removed Arnold’s single shot BB pistol from the trunk of his Lincoln and placed it in his right hand, which had received two wounds and was incapable of holding anything, even if he had been holding a weapon in the first place.
The police kept the area totally closed off and it is alleged that the coroner’s office investigators were not allowed into the area for some seven hours after the shooting.
THE AFTERMATH. According to the Los Angeles Times, a local resident who did see the entire event, said that she had a clear view and that Arnold did not appear to have anything in his hands. She wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. Dead witnesses tell no tales.
According to the coroner’s report, both of the murdered man’s hands contained shotgun powder residue. Arnold did not have a shotgun. The ONLY way the residue could have been deposited on his hands was by direct contact with someone who fired a shotgun, and later dragged him by his hands to the sidewalk location while altering the crime scene.
Arnold’s DNA was found up inside the front, right wheel well of his Lincoln Town Car. It could only have gotten there from either being splashed up when officers moved his car while the crime scene was being hosed down or it was splashed up under there by the wash down hose used by the police. It could not have mixed itself with water, jumped over the tire from Arnold’s body without touching the sidewalk, and planted itself up under the wheel well.
The single-shot, air-pump type BB pistol had no scratches or other marks on it, even though the police alleged that he was holding it at the time he was shot. Remember that the San Bernardino County Coroner, among others, pointed out that it was impossible for a man, shot in the head and instantly killed to hold onto the weapon. The police were unable to explain how he managed to hold the weapon in a hand that was half shot to pieces by two rounds, after he had been shot in the head and was dead. Neither were they able to explain how the rounds that penetrated Arnold’s right hand somehow curved around the grip of the bb pistol so as to miss it, then proceeded to enter his hand on the opposite side of the pistol grip he had supposedly been holding.
No weapons, shell casings, spent rounds, or photos of marks left by rounds supposedly fired by the victim at officers at La Cienega and Imperial Highway were ever produced by any of the police agencies.
Other than the obviously "planted" BB pistol, no weapons, shells, shell casings, or spent rounds whatsoever from the massacre scene were ever produced by any of the police agencies, to explain their killing the victim.
Blood, supposedly taken at the scene where Arnold had stopped on the freeway transition road at La Cienega and Imperial Highway, had an alcohol level of 0.17% while blood taken from the femoral artery of the victim by the coroner only had 0.05%. It was never explained why or how Arnold left a supposed sample of his blood and saliva so conveniently, over three miles from where he was shot and killed. There were no traces of blood or saliva in his Lincoln Town Car. (Could that blood sample have been falsified and/or tampered with? Only a DNA analysis would tell.)
QUERY: If, as was stated by police spokespersons later, Arnold had been engaged in shooting at officers and was considered a deadly threat to them and to others while up on the transition road, why was he allowed; in fact, ordered to get back in his car and drive some three miles to the scene of his murder?
The trajectory of the entry / exit wounds to Arnold and bullet holes in several of the Victor Meat Packing delivery trucks located behind the business, are consistent with the victim having been shot in the middle of the street, NOT ON THE SIDEWALK, AS THE COPS ALLEGE.
That same trajectory evidence makes it clear that the bullets that struck residential homes a block and more away could not possibly have been fired at Arnold, if he had been standing on the sidewalk.
The single bullet entry / exit to the Lincoln Town Car was consistent with being fired by a cop from the sidewalk, toward Arnold, in the street. The entry is from the rear right, and exit is to the front left.
THE PLEA FOR JUSTICE. If ever the dead cried for justice, Michael "Buzz" Arnold is crying out in agony. He was not a criminal. He did not deserve to be shot to pieces by out-of-control cops. He did not deserve to be described as a suicidal freeway shooter in the newspaper and on television and radio when he was not.
Michael "Buzz" Arnold, though deceased, still has the right to have his name cleared. He has the right to have the men who killed him brought to justice. He has the right to, at long last, rest in peace once this is accomplished.
Just as importantly, the victim’s mother, brother and others who knew and loved him, have a right to see justice prevail so they can finally put this all to rest and be able to get on with their lives.
THEY NEED YOUR HELP! Currently, Constance is raising money to produce a scientific video showing what actually happened. A video to be so widely distributed that what may well be the most blatant and overwhelming case of "murder by badge" in the history of this country can no longer be hushed up by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the State of California Highway Patrol, the Hawthorne Police Department and the officials and politicians behind the scenes.
She needs help from some honest lawyers; possibly an oxymoron but, where there is life, there is hope. Just one honest, outraged, and dedicated lawyer; willing to work pro-bono on this case, could make a tremendous difference. A whole bunch of them could raise hell and shove a chunk under it and really bring this out in the open and prosecute the people we hire to supposedly enforce the law and protect us; not kill innocent citizens and cover it all up.
With enough pressure, hopefully, the major media will finally come forward and give this the attention it merits and demand a complete investigation.
Hopefully, the Bush Administration and the new Attorney General will have the intestinal fortitude and plain, common decency to hold a complete investigation of the blatant violation of Buzz Arnold’s civil rights. If a thug like Rodney King has civil rights, then, most assuredly, so should a decent citizen like the victim.
Hopefully, you, the reader, will be sickened and outraged to the point where you will help in some way. Send a few bucks to the mother to help her in her fight. Pass this article on as far and wide as possible. Call your own members of congress, the new Attorney General of the United States, President Bush, etc., and demand that justice be served.
And finally, with a new man in the White House who just happens to be named "George," maybe, together, we can put enough pressure on; send enough letters and e-mails, make enough calls to the White House phone banks, and "Let George Do It" will become a reality.
You can e-mail Constance Flaum at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] She needs all the support and help she can get. This has been a tough row to hoe for her and she’s stood up like a trooper and kept the good fight going.
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