Subject: Video Shows Austin Cops Firing Bean Bag Rounds at Man With Hands Up Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:37 pm
The Austin Police Department, a department with a history of using excessive force, shot bean bag rounds at 20-year-old Devon Smith after he surrendered to a SWAT team with his hands up Friday night.
Police claim Smith had a knife and posed a danger to officers. But the video tells a different story.
In the video, Smith is seen walking out of the house with his hands up. The video clearly shows his hands empty as he holds them in the air. A few seconds pass, Smith continues holding his hands in the air and bean bag shots are fired. Smith can then be seen rolling around in pain as the officers then come over and stomp on him.
The crowd responds by saying, thats bullshit.
Police say he attempted to stab an officer in the head with a knife and that a second knife was later found in Smiths pocket.
But no knife can be seen in the video and its likely Smith never actually stabbed an officer being that no officers head was near Smith while he squirmed in agony from the bean bag shots. Its also likely he didnt know he had been shot by bean bags, and instead thought he was shot by bullets.
You have to take into consideration they didnt see what the officer saw, when the guy went to the ground they didnt see the knife, they didnt see from their perspective, all they are seeing is us impacting him, Lt. Pruitt said.
Police said Smith allegedly tried to stab an officer in the head three times as they attempted to take him into custody. The officer was not injured because the blows hit his metal helmet.
They also claim that Smith had a warrant and just didnt want to be arrested. Smith is now charged with attempted capitol murder for attacking an officer with a knife despite the video showing he did no such thing.