Minneapolis Police
- By Cops Busted
- Published 11/8/2009
- Bad Cops
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Rating:
Cops Busted
Cops Busted is not about bashing the Police, but that few bad apples. For the most part, most Police Officers are respectable, but in current years I am not happy with the trend and course Law Enforcement has taken. Did they forget they are Public Servants - To SERVE and PROTECT! Cops are not above the law, nor are they better than other people.
View all articles by Cops Busted
On April 30, 2009, Rolando Ruiz was arrested near the Minneapolis 2nd Precinct near Central Avenue.
Caught on the dashcam video of the Minneapolis Police officer (Todd Lappegaard) you can't see what happens before Rolando Ruiz is told to put his hands on the hood, but what's causing the complaint is what comes next in the video.
"Officer Todd Lappegaard takes that Taser and puts it to the back of his NECK and shocks him until he's incapacitated, on the ground, slumped before the squad car," said Albert Goins Sr., an attorney. Goins said the Minneapolis Police officers meant to hurt Ruiz. "It's clear that the only purpose for that officer's conduct was to inflict pain and inflict agony on Mr. Ruiz," said Goins.
The police officer who tasered Ruiz is Todd Lappegaard. Lappegaard was involved and reprimanded once before for using deadly force. Back in March 2002, Lappegaard was involved in a deadly chase. The SUV he was chasing ran off the road and hit a jogger. The jogger died at the scene.
Ruiz is suing the city and asking for $75,000. He also wants Lappegaard to be reprimanded.
Many experts would agree that the incidents leading to the outcome on this video would have altered the course of actions taken by the Officer Todd Lappegaard, but that does not take away from the fact that on Video Rolando Ruiz appears to be submissive and complaint. Even his demeanor and facial expressions don't give the sense of any aggression.
According to the criminal complaint, Todd Lappegaard saw Ruiz throwing a brick through the windshield of an officer's personal vehicle outside the second precinct building on Central Avenue. Rolando Ruiz appeared to be surrendering to Lappegaard when he was Tasered.
I can understand where officer Todd Lappegaard is angered by Rolando Ruiz throwing a brick at one of his co-worker's personal vehicle. I would probably been highly upset and wanted to cause some pain to Ruiz, but that is not what we pay police officer to do. We pay police officers, our public servants, to be professionals and enforce laws, while abiding by those laws themselves!
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4 Responses to "Minneapolis Police " 
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said this on 07 Jan 2010 11:19:27 AM MST
they can do any damn thing they want because noone believes a criminal
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said this on 12 Feb 2010 12:01:58 AM MST
Rolando Ruiz admitted before the officers that he was currently in trouble for 2nd Degree Assault with a dangerous weapon in Scott County (609.222.1), which is causation enough for the officer to take preventative measures to ensure neither the suspect, nor the officer were injured. A close look at the video will show that as the taser is applied to the shoulder area (consistent with department policy,) Ruiz pulls away, rendering the charge ineffective, which is why it was applied for an additional cycle. The video also shows Ruiz in an erect position, with his fingers raised (not flat as a surrendering suspect would), which is not a sign of a submissive subject. If the Officer intended to maliciously punish Ruiz, he would have used the probe mode, as opposed to stun mode and would not have turned on his lights, thus activating the camera. The department does NOT require lights to be activated during an arrest. This was done for the Officers protection, not so that Mr. Ruiz and his attorney could get their big pay day.
During his jail interview Mr. Ruiz even claimed that he got on the ground and then was tased for five (5) minutes (video proves otherwise), but also that he didn't actually commit the crime, but that it was three Somalis!!!
It should also be noted that Mr. Ruiz and his attorney did not feel the need to file a complaint with the CRA (Civilian Police Review Authority), in all likelihood, because that claim would have been unsubstantiated; and... neither Goines, nor Ruiz would speak to the Internal Affairs investigator, another sure sign that this is all about the money, which no doubt Mr. Ruiz, if the city capitulates (which anyone following the MPD Administrations record knows, it will), will use to purchase more narcotics and continue his streak of violent behavior (unfortunately I cannot access his Juvenile record, which I'm sure would be a tell tale of his violent past), while Mr. Goines will continue his bottom feeding ways looking score another guilty client an easy pay-day.
Mr. Ruiz should be returned to the St. Cloud Correctional Facility for the remainer of his sentence, since he clearly violated his probation. The Officer should be suing Mr. Goines and Ruiz for defamation of character/slander/libel; he should get his job back and the city should be forced to pay for the damage done to this officer’s reputation.
With regards to causing the SUV to running off the road killing a jogger, the officer was not reprimanded in that case and was following orders of his superiors officers (or state patrol, I cannot find that document right now.)
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said this on 04 Mar 2010 11:52:11 PM MST
Youre either a Minneapolis cop or a moron which are interchangable for the MPD.You dont taze someone that has there hands on the car and to use the furitive movement so elagantly described by you (the so called agresive act of having youre fingers raised not flat ) is another example of abuse of police powers....a whores excuse for a cheap trick. Whoever you are youre a fuckin dipshit. For the record dumefuck im a lic.peace officer in MN and think MPD is a embaresment to all the GOOD police officers in MN.
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said this on 17 Jun 2010 1:09:00 AM MST
you spelled dumb wrong and aggressive has two g's...also elegantly is spelled incorrectly...embarrassment is also spelled incorrectly. also you should use thier instead of there in your second sentence. I also believe you mean furtive not furitive cause that is spelled wrong.
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