Courthouse News – by MATT REYNOLDS
LOS ANGELES (CN) – After a Hawthorne police officer shot a man’s dog to death in front of him, and video of it went viral on YouTube, police falsely and maliciously charged him with six felonies, the man claims in court.
In a civil rights complaint against the city and three officers in Superior Court, Leon Rosby claims that on June 30, 2013, he was driving in his car with his 2-year-old Rottweiler, Max, when saw police responding to a residence in the Hawthorne, near L.A. International Airport.
Rosby says he already was known as a critic of the police department and was targeted by officers who “engaged in a pattern of harassing conduct” toward him. Rosby sued the city in December 2012, alleging false imprisonment and negligence, according to the Courthouse News Service database.
On June 30, Rosby says, defendants Christopher Hoffman and Jeffery Salmon stopped him “for no lawful or justifiable reason.”
He claims police arrested him after he stopped to film the officers with his cellphone. Another officer, Michael Matson, is also a named defendant.
Rosby put Max back in his car but the dog jumped out of an open window and moved toward the officers, barking, according to Los Angeles Times.
According to the lawsuit: “While Mr. Rosby was handcuffed and placed under arrest, Officer Hoffman shot Mr. Rosby’s dog multiple times in front of Mr. Rosby, killing Max. Officer Hoffman’s conduct was directed at Mr. Rosby and was intended to intimidate and harm him and to cause psychological trauma to Mr. Rosby by forcing him to watch the brutal and inhumane execution of his beloved dog, Max.”
Rosby’s video of the incident was posted to YouTube and went viral.
“The video of the Hawthorne Police Department’s outrageous and illegal conduct was downloaded millions of times and became the source of national and global attention and utter embarrassment for the Hawthorne Police Department,” the complaint states.
After the video’s release, almost 100 protesters descended on the police department, the Times reported.
In response to that unwanted attention, Rosby claims, Hawthorne cops manipulated police reports to claim that had provoked the officers, and falsely accused him of intimidating a witness who had videotaped the incident.
Relying on those reports, prosecutors charged Rosby with six felony counts and one misdemeanor count of criminal threats, obstruction of justice, and witness intimidation, according to the lawsuit.
Rosby is scheduled to appear March 14 for a preliminary hearing on those charges.
“It was devastating,” Rosby said of Max’s shooting. “His love for me was so extraordinary that he actually died for me.”
Officer Salmon was accused of participating in another attack, on a deaf man, in a lawsuit filed in the same court one week ago.
Rosby seeks punitive damages for civil rights violations, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
He is represented by Mark Geragos with Geragos & Geragos.
I have four dogs. If they shoot any of them, they might as well of shot a family member. I will hunt them down and end them.
Agreed.
They kill at will and get away with it too.it called collateral damage and the citizens are these bastards battle field!
My four dogs are like children, especially my latest, my little Pomeranian, she is like the granddaughter I may never have. My 2 oldest have left the nest, they were replaced with animals, it’s a Mom thing. If these POS cops or anybody else thinks they will harm my babies they are in for a rude (dead) awakening.
I hear you Missy.
My dogs are my children as well. I have my baby girl, who has been sick since she was 5 months old. If anyone came into my home unannounced she would bark, and if threatened she would bite, but it would take a lot out of her. She’s almost 3 but is very small for a German Sheppard, she looks like a 6 month old puppy.
These POS have to stop using the excuse that they “felt threatened”, or were “afraid for their lives”. If they are such chicken sh..t’s , then they are in the wrong field.
If any of us pleebs hurt a police dog, we would be in prison for harming an “officer”. No more double standards. This crap has to end.
Touch my dogs/family, they will suffer the consequences.
Deb,what’s wrong with the little pup?Hope it all works out for the little dude(OK dudette).I love shepards,grew up with one and was my bud and a few times protector.
Hey James,
It’s a long story, but she contracted a rare disorder after being hospitalized when she was a pup. It’s called red cell aplasia. She has a suppressed immune system. Right now she is on meds for a skin fungus and she was pulling out her fur. She’s getting better though. She’s a great dog and sweet as can be. 🙂
Cool,hope she mends soon and is ready for spring and all the insanity it has to offer a dog in the new smells dept.!
I’m bettin’ next they’ll start shooting peoples cats, too.
Because they felt ‘threatened’.
Buncha f’n pussies! # 1 targets once the SHTF, as far as I’m concerned.
NWO,thanks for earlier link regarding chemtrails.I really am not sure what to think,have no doubt in a SHTF time govt. would spray folks but as to what is going on now just am not sure.That said,tis probably a situation cannot do much about or really prep for as who the hell knows what if any chemicals are involved,not sure am a believer but will keep a open mind and will actually on a nice day watch the planes for awhile,daydreaming at the sky is time well spent iregardless!
Welcome, James.
There is a plethora of information on chemtrails on the internet. Something that may interest you is a video titled “What in the World Are They Spraying?”, and the follow-up to it “Why in the World Are They Spraying?” I know you can view the first one on the net for free (I have it on dvd), but I’m not sure about the second one, it’s much more recent.
Soon they will cross lines with the wrong person.I hope Rosby wins in court and sues for a large amount of money and collects.The day the court system doesn’t work and that was one of my family members would be the hell with it day.I do believe would kill the person who killed my dog,would though take my time and incapacitate with a chemical or electrical device and then finish job.I would not feed the anti- firearm crowd more ammo(pun intended!),would also leave with others reasons why and then,well,am underground till caught and inevitably killed,killing one of my family members is the line crossed for me among others.Hopefully enough lawsuits will bring a end to this insanity that seems to have infected many police dept.s but if not time to take matters into your own hands.
I don’t see how you could shoot a dog unless it was rabid or one of those pit bulls gnawing on your arm.
Agree,of course do not see shooting a kid with a video controller either.Sure,those games with volume up and a enthusiastic player can be a bit annoying but certainly not a death penalty offense.That was my family member that police dept. would be in a very bad situation.
Just remember this- if the tables were turned and it was the people shooting a police dog/the world would be brought to bear against you for the “crime” of shooting a police-dog.
This is further proof that a secret mandate has come down from the federal govt., directing all violent police interactions to escalate with shoot to kill intentions. This is done to condition the sheeple not to resist police force when the shtf really does happen.
If you dont believe it, just look back on this and see when it began to escalate/right after 9-11wtc.
Some tips- dont EVER call 911 for anything……. it is a potential death sentence, self-imposed.
Secondly you need to carry/phukk the chl license/you have a God-given right to defend yourself. make sure you are at the ready if you are ever
detained by a jack-booted thug.