GREENVILLE, SC (WIS) - A South Carolina police officer has lost his job after being accused of beating a suspect and the whole incident was caught on dash cam.
The Greenville police officer says he was just doing his job, but the 18-year-old suspect's attorney says there are still many questions that need to be answered.
Karl Allen is appalled at the video of his client, 18-year-old Jeremy Rucker, being punched 13 times by former Greenville County deputy Brian Tollision.
"And then they have the audacity to treat this man as if he's a piece of meat and taser him with electrical jolts to his body and then, that's not enough for them, they kick three times to the torso," Allen said.
Judging by the tape, Allen says it does not appear his client posed a threat.
"I've seen nothing to justify the actions of these officers," Allen said.
To set the stage, the undercover deputies had just pulled a man over at a known drug hang out. The driver got away. Rucker was found sitting in the passenger seat. Deputies were trying to take the 18-year-old into custody because they said he had drugs on him.
Back in June, Sheriff Steve Loftis fired Brian Tollison after a month-long internal review.
"The fact that Deputy Tollison took his closed fist and struck the suspect in the face 13 times in my opinion was excessive," Loftis said.
However, he said the actions of the other deputies were not excessive and they did not violate policy because Rucker started to resist arrest again.
Karl Allen says the sheriff's disciplinary action against Tollision is commendable, but falls short of justice. Meanwhile, he has filed a civil rights complaint with the US Department of Justice.
