h/t http://www.photographyisnotacrime.com/

From PNAC –

According to ABC-7:

Falconi says when he surrendered he put his hands up in the air, he says Deputy Robert Lewis then punched him in the face and tackled him to the ground– putting a gun to his head and threatening to kill him.

He says Lewis and other deputies continued to beat and taze him despite the fact that he had surrendered.

Falconi shared a portion of the dash cam video–he says it is proof that deputies used unnecessary force against him.

In a use of force report to the sheriff’s office–Deputy Lewis says this all unfolded because Falconi resisted arrest.

Lewis says Falconi didn’t listen to demands to get on the ground–so drew his gun, hit Falconi in chest and pushed him to the ground.

Lewis also says Falconi did not respond when he repeatedly told him to roll on his stomach and put his hands on his head.

He says Falconi instead put his hand underneath his torso like he was reaching for something–so Lewis tased Falconi.

Lewis and other deputies continued to hit Falconi to try and get him under control and in handcuffs.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office released this statement regarding the incident:

We have been made aware of the potential for a lawsuit relating to this arrest. In addition, the criminal case is still pending. These two facts significantly limit our ability to comment.

To date, no member misconduct complaint has been filed in this case. However, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office will open a Professional Responsibility Bureau investigation to determine exactly what took place during the pursuit and arrest. Among the questions that will be resolved are whether Mr. Falconi was resisting being handcuffed at the time of the alleged excessive response to resistance and whether deputies on scene were following agency and state response to resistance guidelines while taking Mr. Falconi into custody.

In order to perform a complete review, many elements need to be reviewed, such as reports, videos, sworn statements and physical evidence. In addition, other questions must be answered, including why was the vehicle traveling at speeds reaching 110 mph and why was the driver attempting to elude deputies.

Law enforcement officers are permitted to respond to resistance, whether it be verbal, passive, active or aggressive, for the safety of the public, the officer and the subject.

This video needs to go viral. Please pass it on.