Five Cops Beat Up a Man Because He Had a Legal Gun
In the city of Minneapolis, it’s not enough to have a permit to carry a gun. The police still unofficially reserve the right to beat you so badly that you go to the hospital for treatment.
They are willing to drive you to the hospital after the beating. They want to be helpful.
This was not clear to Zachary King. He carries a handgun. He has a permit to do this. He carries it with him in his wallet.
He had been in a local nightclub. When he left the club and headed for his car, a policeman stopped him. He asked King about the bulge in his pocket. He says that he told him it was a gun, and that he had a permit to carry it.
That was when the beating began. Five policemen participated.
They knocked him down. Then one of them began beating his head against the sidewalk.
Finally, one of them took out his wallet and found the permit. That was when they stopped beating him.
Then they took him to the hospital.
There is a video of at least part of the beating. Someone down the street had a smartphone.
He is suing the city.
The police department has no comment.
Some citizens have begun to protest publicly. The city now has a community relations problem on its hands.
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Published on June 28, 2012. The original is here.