Police Officers Face Reckless Manslaughter Charge
Florida Narcotics Chief Indicted
Morse Trial Ends In Hung Jury
Officer Jeremy Morse
In July 2003, the trial of Officer Jeremy Morse in Inglewood, California, ended in a hung jury on the charges of aggravated assault and the excessive use of force. In the same trial, Officer Bijan Darvish was acquitted of the charge that he made a false report about the incident.
As we reported in our last newsletter, the case of Officer Morse was almost as notorious as the Rodney King incident. In July 2002, Donovan Jackson, a passenger in a car, became angry and out of control when being questioned and decided to take on four policemen. After a scuffle, he finally was subdued and handcuffed but then went limp and refused to move.
Officer Morse used the “wedge” technique to lift Jackson and place him on top of the trunk of the car. At this point, Jackson managed to grab the officer’s crotch. The pained expression on Morse’s face was caught on video, as was the punch to Jackson when he would not let go.
That famous videotaped punch cost legal fees in excess of $100,000 for each officer. Following the hung jury and acquittal of Darvish, Jesse Jackson called for a federal probe and for federal charges to be filed against the officers.
LELDF will support Office Morse in the re-trial of his case.
