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Probes focus on city cop, brutality || AUDIO
TweetBy JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
jgoodwin@vindy.com
- YPD dispatch call on paralyzed man
Audio clip
YOUNGSTOWN
Police and lawyers are digging into accusations of police brutality in the city, while more is learned about the accused officer and the man lodging the allegation.
Willie Daniel, 36, of High Street, has filed a complaint with the Youngstown Police Department, claiming Officer Robert Joliff verbally assaulted him, punched him several times in the face, then hit him in the head with a liquor bottle after a traffic accident Feb. 27 along Wilson Avenue.
Daniel is paralyzed from the waist down from a shooting in 1999.
Daniel said his brother, Kenneth Daniel, was driving the car at the time of the accident, but officers found Willie Daniel alone in the car when responding to the accident. Police charged him with driving under suspension and reckless operation.
Kenneth Daniel said he was driving the car the night of the accident on the East Side. He said he went to get help after the accident and when he returned he saw the police treatment of his brother from a distance, “but was too nervous to walk back to the scene.”
A tow truck driver told officers responding to the accident that Daniel had a gun in the car. No gun was found, but officers did recover a stick that Daniel said he uses to assist him with various tasks.
Police Chief Jimmy Hughes said the department is investigating the accusation.
Daniel met Wednesday with Atty. Dave Betras, who announced the law firm will be looking into the arrest.
Betras said there seems to have been an assumption by the officer that his client had broken the law.
“Preliminarily, there seems to have been a rush to judgment on the part of the police officer with what happened to this gentleman, and we are certainly going to look into that,” he said. “It is always a concern that when you are a law enforcement officer, with the power of arrest, you use the discretion we expect from our law enforcement officers.”
Willie Daniel’s criminal history is not without blemish. He has had three arrests for carrying concealed weapons and driving without a valid license all before the shooting that left him paralyzed.
There also were two arrests for having an open alcohol container and one arrest for drinking in a motor vehicle after the 1999 shooting.
Betras, however, said the bottom line is that police did not find anything illegal in his client’s car after the February accident. He said his client was not driving the car, and he did nothing to warrant being punched in the mouth.
“Just because he has a past criminal record does not give you a right to beat him,” Betras said.
The Vindicator has requested a copy of any and all past complaints against Joliff. The city’s law department said those files will be made available to the paper sometime today.
Comments
Go figure, Betras will probably be suing someone...
Isn't his law firm one of the best in the country?
REMEMBER all the COMMENTS yesterday? This man was portrayed as low-life scum, trying to get paid. This is not a
black-white- Indian, or any other race induced complaint. Its all about a certain police officer rushing to judgement and making very bad choices. It's a shame that Youngstown will be sued, but thats the penality for the actions. I hope a lot of lessons will be learned from this. The tow-truck driver's name should be included since it was he who mentioned a "gun". BEATRIS would not take a case that would tarnish his reputation. Pay-day pretty soon. Now, if Daniels follows the example of Rodney King, the system will get all the monies back.
Betras will defend anything at any time .
I would have checked that vehicle for hand controls . If it was so equipped then the paraplegic could have been driving in spite of what his brother says . This was a one vehicle crash so the operator was at fault .
Northsider: You are right, it is not a race thing, it is a habitual criminal thing. It is about a certain criminal getting drunk/high and crashing his car and now he wants to get away with it. It is a shame that the city will be sued, they will probably pay because it will be cheaper than defending the lawsuit (don't think lawyers are not aware of that!). By the way, if you saw the photos of the vehicle, I would say that Daniel probably hit his face on the steering wheel when he crashed his car.
Mr. Betras will sue because that is what he does. Win or lose he will keep it on the front page. Once all the facts come out, everyone will have a field day with comments. It could get interesting to say the least.
@Stan-- If the car had hand controls, then Daniels wouldn't have a leg-to-stand-on!
northsider
"This is not a
black-white- Indian, or any other race induced complaint. Its all about a certain police officer rushing to judgement and making very bad choices."
Have you heard the officers side yet? This is only the words of a high price lawyer.
@steelhead How will he hit his head on the streering wheel while driving if he is paralyzed from the waist down? And if he was drunk and or high that would of been one of the first things reported out since he was arrested an all so that comment is bs. But more to this story should come out because some things on it still dont make sense.
Any chance he is lying about the sequence of events and the gun was ditched somewhere, I mean don't pretend THAT doesn't happen in Youngstown. Now the officer hit him in the head with a liquor bottle? C'mon....that is awful extreme.
Willie has a criminal history, so lets not take sides just yet. Like I said earlier, this is going to get interesting. Mr. Betras will see to that. I wonder how Willie is going to pay for his attorney.
The whole story by Daniel sounds dubious. Kenneth's story doesn't sound too believable either. Willie was probably driving with the stick, cracked up and called his brother. Stupider things occur in Ytown. Why would the tow truck driver allege a gun when none was found? Who are the witnesses to this alleged assault? Talk about a rush to judgement. I find it hard to believe that an officer would beat up a paraplegic. What would be his motive? I think if you compared the history of the two individuals in the community you would find the officer much more credible.
I would be willing to bet a paycheck that what psyker99 says is true. If I crashed a car my brother was riding in (paralyzed or not) and this scenario took place, I would have walked right up to the police and told them what happened. If the crash was caused by weather, I would have nothing to hide. I certainly would not have let him lie in the street to be assaulted by the police or anyone else and to be defended by his wife.
Do any of these folks work? Did they have insurance? Why does it always happen to them?
First of all let's just stick with the facts, bottom line NO ONE still have not explained why the tow truck guy assumed this guy had a gun but yet when the truck was searched there was no gun. That sound like racial profiling to me ya think. Point #2 What would provoke a COP to hit a person in the face weather they were paralyzed or not if the cop felt he was wrong about something they were suppose to do their job by simply putting the cuffs on him and taking him to jail if they felt they really had a case. This gentelman's past has NOTHING to do with THIS particular situation. It's a shame some things just don't change and THIS case proves just that. This is just one of many situations where you have a cop that mixes his own personal feelings with business. P.S. valleytransplant now I am not sure EXACTLY what you mean when you say "these folks","it always happen to them" Don't get it twisted for a split second Down in the Valley, Folks do have a job. I am also glad you understand "Yes it does always happen to us" the racial profiling that is. Oh yeah, by the way do you have insurance ? Oh yeah did anyone listen to the 911 call made by the dispatcher today ?
For all those who felt like the office had probable cause let's dig into officer Joliff's past behavior as someone who is suppose to protect and serve.
WKBN: During the conversation, the dispatcher asks Officer Aaron Coleman what happened to Daniel.
Coleman: We had to take the guy to the hospital.
Dispatcher: Why you guys beating up on handicapped people?
Coleman: I didn't put a hand on him, why who told you dude?
Dispatcher: I know things. He will be alright.
The department is currently conducting an internal investigation on the incident.
A public records for Jolliff's prior discipline showed 12 prior internals in the past eight years. The internals ranged from conduct unbecoming to an officer and excessive force. He was cleared on at least half. The outcomes of some are unknown.
Now it sounds to me officer Coleman never said no one put their hands on Mr. Daniels he just wanted it known he didn't. But never said once Joliff didn't neither. Since the dispatcher seem to act like he know so much his ass need to be subpoenaed to tell what he know since he know things.
@ImUrPO Aren't you doing the same thing as the people who are taking sides?
Let's see.....he is paralized. Why? Oh ya cause he is a drug dealer that got shot in the back! Also guess what? He has 2 priors for carrying a concealed weapon! The gun that the tow truck driver saw was a wooden stick with black tape around it. Hmm...I wonder what that was for? Oh ya he was using it to work the gas and brake pedals cause HE was driving! And then his brother wasn't even on the scene of the accident? How nice! But he was being picked on.