Shortly past the halfway mark of my ride, a car shined a bright light from behind me. It was a spot light on an Antioch police car. The car stopped and being blinded by the light, I stepped over to the side of the car where I could see the officer. My approaching the car put the officer on defense. He rudely yelled and ordered me to get in front of his car without offering any explanation. When I disobeyed his order by asking him again "what's the problem officer?", I was ordered not only to get in front of the police car but to lay on the ground with my hands on my back. Being the person that I am, I refused to lay in the dirt until I was at least told my crime. The officer yelled at me several times to lay down each time I replied with "why- what is my crime?" or similar inquiry as to question the authority of the actions being taken. At this point I had no proof that the people dressed in police uniforms were in fact legitimate police officers - they certainly were not acting like it - by my definition of what a "public servant" aka "police officer" is supposed to do. The officers never even asked me my name or where I live or told me any crime I was guilty of.
The officer (24 year old J. Joannides #3346) then drew his stick and approached me with the stick raised in the air still demanding me to assume arrest position. I made one small move that unleashed a whole series of events. As the officer prepared to swing the stick, I grabbed the other end in order to prevent him from swinging it at me and tried to reason with the officer one last time. His partner (Reserve officer Steve Thomas #3402 (even younger I think) ) sprayed mace or pepper spray in my face from close range, I pulled his stick away from him, threw it down and stepped back. I was unable to see much but I could tell that I was being hit with a flashlight. I blocked many hits to my face, but eventually laid on the ground on the left side of my body, feeling blow after blow of sticks, flashlights and boots. I never returned the attack or made a single offensive move - If I had there certainly would have been one or more fatalities that night. When the first backup officer arrived, I was already on the ground with 2 officers on top of me still hitting me with sticks and flashlights. The backup officer (S. Aiello #2335) jumped on my back went crazy punching me in the face until a few more backups arrived. Aiello brags in his filed police report about how he closed fist punched me multiple times.
Eventually they let me up, and immediately lied to the other officers that had arrived, telling them that I hit them with my CD player. Aiello attacked me before he heard this even though he saw I was posing no threat at the moment he arrived. One of the officers stepped on my CD player and they are keeping it in evidence to show the jury how it broke while I attacked them with it. They are keeping my bicycle too to show the damage that happened while I supposedly threw it at them. Funny how both officers 'remember' the CD player attack, but one left out the bicycle attack - seems to me like they both would remember an event like that in their police reports. They both said I pushed them into a barbed wire fence but there are no tears in the uniform and no puncture wounds on either officer. Antioch's own pictures reveal this, and the uniform was sent to the cleaner and ready for use according to the evidence detective.
My injuries include a broken nose, two black eyes, 4 inch wide bruises down my right arm, marble sized welts on my right leg and back. I had a deep cut on my forehead, swollen shut nose, and scrapes on my face (Photo courtesy of Antioch Police Department), shoulder, arms (my arm 1 week after), and knees. My head was gushing so much blood that the rescue helicopter was called. (I have been told it was not a rescue helicopter, but it was more backup police forces incase the ground forces were not enough). They closed the road at both ends in preparation for the helicopter landing so as far as I know there were no witnesses except the two rookies and the first backup officer. After 2 weeks my injuries included sickness, chills, and sweating from all the blood under my skin in my arm and leg - It pooled up in my foot that remained purple until about the 3rd week. The human body is an awesome thing, after 8 months I have no trace of the attack except for a small scar on my forehead and nose. One officer was treated for a scrape on his knee, and the other was released from the hospital immediately.
