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. 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.
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!