Posted on 06/14/2009 12:19:46 PM PDT by kenth
PRAGUE — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol released a dashboard camera video late Friday that was recorded during an altercation between a patrol trooper and an emergency medical technician. Featured Gallery
The patrol said the move is contrary to what the agency normally does but decided to release the video because of the high level of public interest and the fact that the release "would not affect the administrative review” of the patrol’s investigation of the incident, according to a statement released late Friday.
"We’ve been well aware of the fact that this incident has drawn enormous attention, but made the decision to protect the integrity of the investigation, any and all relevant evidence, as well as the rights of the department employees during the course of the investigation as required by law,” said patrol spokesman Capt. Chris West.
The move came after the patrol received sharp criticism by the attorney representing the technician, who questioned the patrol’s initial decision not to release the video.
The patrol has completed its internal investigation into the actions of trooper Daniel Martin, who has been placed on administrative leave with pay, West said. The investigation is now under review.
Martin, a patrolman with two years experience, has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing by Okfuskee County District Attorney Max Cook. He also said he would not file charges against Creek Nation EMT Maurice White Jr., who is the person involved in the altercation with Martin.
Richard O’Carroll, White’s attorney, had earlier criticized the patrol for not releasing the video.
"Why wouldn’t they release the video?” said O’Carroll of Tulsa.
West initially defended his agency’s decision to withhold the dashboard video, adding that Martin is entitled to his "due process” as a state employee. Martin claims the ambulance driver, Paul Franks, rolled down his window and made an obscene gesture at him. Franks denies making such a gesture.
"This investigation is to determine whether any disciplinary actions should be taken or not,” West said. "We’re trying to take the high road here.
One video of the incident has reached the public domain. The video was taken by the ambulance patient’s son on his cell phone camera and posted on YouTube.
Martin is shown choking White outside the ambulance with another patrolman, Brian Iker, urging everyone to remain calm.
"Thank God there was a camera, or else my client would have been prosecuted by now,” O’Carroll said.
Dash cam video released.
Is it posted anywhere? YT?
Never mind — its on the link (*doh*)
Yeah, sorry, I should have mentioned that as I had no direct link to the video.
This was all over Fox News yesterday. And I think CNN too.
Saw this a couple of weeks ago. The guy that recorded it and put in on youtube.
His mother was in the back of the wagon being driven to the hospital. The troopers pulled the wagon over and accused the driver of trying to cut him off.
They let the medic go and proceeded to the hospital. Mom was fine.
Good for the EMT lead to step up and defend his guy. The HP trooper was a total tool.
I think the trooper will be lucky to just get fired on this one, as the patient in the ambulance, as well as the EMTs have a great case against him.
>>This was all over Fox News yesterday. And I think CNN too.<<
I was flying home from Puerto Vallarta so was out of news touch.
Did they actually take away the “boss” from the ambulance? I can’t tell from either video.
No, cop walks free. They got special beat down privilages the rest of us don't have.
The trooper seems to have anger management issues. He will lose.
>>I think the trooper will be lucky to just get fired on this one, as the patient in the ambulance, as well as the EMTs have a great case against him.<<
I think you are 100% wrong. The Trooper was a jerk, but well within the law. The ambulance didn’t yield to the Code 3 Trooper and the “boss” had nothing to do with it.
In fact, the “boss” is lucky he didn’t get tazed when he resisted arrest.
he was pissed because the ambulance didn’t pull over and he had to pass by going into the oncoming lane? like the rest of us?
meanwhile, the move slowed him down... maybe 2 seconds. and he was on scene for less then 30 seconds before leaving. the ambulance, with a patient enroute to a hospital, was delayed for 5+ minutes.
where’s the problem again? if anything, the cop was the problem, not the ambulance driver
I’m not sure what you mean. I don’t think the ending of the video was shown on the news — just the incriminating parts, including the parts that occurred before the video taken by the patient’s relative. That video had been released earlier by the patient’s relative, and reportedly the OHP had said that events which occurred earlier would justify the officer’s actions. Then the news media forced the OHP to release the dashcam video, which not only made the officer’s actions look even worse, but made the OHP appear to complicit in an attempt to cover up the officer’s crime, since they’d issued misleading statements about events shown on the dashcam video.
Patrolman is toast. Suspect one or more people at the OHP is toast, and possibly the DA as well. Feds will be all over this soon, if Oklahoma doesn’t take appropriate action.
The patient in the ambulance could have died, if it was something serious, while that state trooper was fiddling around with the ambulance driver and other ambulance guy in the back...
These cops are crazy sometimes, from what I’ve seen from time to time. They must hire crazies or something...
How can you possibly defend this? This cop was at the scene for what - 20-30 seconds before leaving to pursue the ambulance? There were no obscene gestures, the window of the ambulance was up - and what was this cop doing going 80-100 mph with a civilian in the car? Namely his fricken’ wife...this guy is a moron that should be in jail and face a civil suit that makes the state of OK choke to death.
“The Trooper was a jerk, but well within the law”
yes another example that any situation can be made worse by adding a cop.
This was about the troopers ego and nothing else.
Nothing will happen to the trooper but he was running a code and the ambi driver was not running a code.
The White guy had a chip on his shoulder...attempting to physically keep the trooper from talking to the driver.
I know all troopers are wrong on FR but not here.
“and what was this cop doing going 80-100 mph with a civilian in the car?”
yeah cops NEVER break the speed limit /s
No way. The trooper was obviously not in any hurry to get to the scene of some urgent matter, or he wouldn’t have hung around picking fights with the EMT crew, so he had no business trying to force an ambulance to yield to him in the first place. And on top of that, at no time does the trooper express the slightest interest or concern for the patient in the ambulance. Law enforcement officers are most certainly NOT within the law when they willfully endanger the safety of random citizens without some very solid reason that involves an urgent need to protect the safety of other citizens.
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