After a high speed chase fleeing from arrest?? He deserved to get the living crap beat out of him. If he was just sitting there minding his own business or had immediately pulled over, then there would be a problem. But after working the streets cleaning up after those chases, anyone who does the high speed runaway deserves to get body-slammed hard into the floor - and should.
This pantywaist 'oh no, big bad cop did something mean to the poor widdle bad guy' crap has got to stop.
This cop crossed the lines as defined by the Texas penal code and was convicted of assault. That is not debateable.
See, I'm silly, I think the police above others have an obligation to set the standard. They're supposed to uphold the law, not break it.
Do we even need to get into the ins and outs of lying during an investigation? If the cop was so right in his actions, he shouldn't have attempted to cover it up with the help of two of his fellow police officers. They were fired for their complicity and obstruction.
I certainly don't want to hobble the police or impair their ability to function. I do however have a problem with the idea that police are above the very laws they're supposed to uphold. When the police start assaulting people without need, then we have a real problem. I've seen the video of this guy taken off the bike a dozen times, and it was totally uncalled for. Obviously, given the outcome, I wasn't the only one who recognized that the cop was way out of line and out of control.
I can't make you see that you're notion that, "...anyone who does the high speed runaway deserves to get body-slammed hard into the floor - and should." is putting the cart ahead of the horse and giving the police immediate, punative powers. I can't make you see that punative powers are best left to judges and juries. However, I hope you'll step back for a moment and see that I'm right.