He was a passenger in a car that apparently had trouble staying it its lane. But that was the driver’s fault. The driver was the one who drank too much and couldn’t control the vehicle. That does not mean the passenger had to suffer the consequences of the driver’s bad decision or poor driving skills. That does not mean that the passenger had to be slammed to the ground, get his head and face busted opened by police and then get shot with a stun gun multiple times.
That is what happened to Candido Medina-Resendiz the night his friend had too much to drink and decided to drive home. When police noticed the car veering back and forth in the lane, the car was pulled over and the police officer conducted an uneventful a field sobriety test.
After the driver failed, he was arrested. The passenger, hardly able to speak English, sat in the passenger seat until another officer opened the door to get him out.
The first time we see Candido was when his head hit the pavement as he was thrown to the ground by police. The officers began barking instructions to the man although he was unable to understand their commands. One officer threatened to “f*cking kick (his) ass,” because the man was not responding they way he should have. We hear Candido scream as the stun gun is used. Laying on his stomach, police was eventually able to handcuff him, but not before punching the injured man multiple times in the face.
Another police officer is then seen kneeling on Candido’s back while the man cried, still unable to communicate to the officers or follow their instructions due to the language barrier. After what seemed like an eternity, the officer removed his knees from Candido’s back and with the help of the other officers, Candido was lifted and carried to the police car, still screaming in pain.
“It’s very apparent from viewing the video that Mr. Medina-Resendiz was extremely confused about what on Earth was happening to him,” said attorney Kyle Mothershead. “The reason why he was being taken down was not explained to him in either English or Spanish, and he’s confused about what’s happening and why he’s being thrown to the ground.”
Candido Medina-Resendiz eventually went through surgery and had multiple stitches for his troubles, with a metal plate was inserted in head.
All the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
