http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/starticles/2001/feb/army020101.htm
CALIFORNIA POLICE-STATE COVER-UP -
The ULTIMATE "Murder By Badge"
By Mel Young - Posted: 02.01.01
Unarmed 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.
The ULTIMATE Murder By Badge - by Mel Young.url
