ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 13, 1996 TAG: 9602130109
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
Roanoke police would not say Monday how a routine traffic stop early Sunday escalated into a brawl that resulted in accusations of police brutality by two Roanoke men.
The incident sent one of the men, two city police officers and a state trooper to the hospital. All were treated and released.
Police Chief M. David Hooper said he would not comment about the specifics of the case until his department's internal investigation was complete.
"I'll wait until I have all the facts until I make a conclusion," Hooper said.
But Steven Leftwich and William Hayden III say the police reports of what happened are inaccurate. Hayden said he was held at gunpoint while other officers beat Leftwich, his 30-year-old cousin.
"They just treated me like an animal," Leftwich said.
The two men said they don't know what provoked police. Neither has filed a complaint with the Roanoke City Police Department.
About 4 a.m. Sunday, Officer D.C. Dean stopped Leftwich's car on East Campbell Avenue because it did not have working taillights, police said. Hayden was driving, and Leftwich was a passenger. Dean attempted to arrest Leftwich - although police won't say why.
A struggle ensued, and Leftwich attempted to get Dean's gun, according to a police news release. Officer E.T. Wilson responded to Dean's call for help.
State Trooper R.J. Carpentieri also stopped to assist the city officers. Carpentieri had just dropped a prisoner off at the Roanoke City Jail and was driving through the area, according to state police.
The three officers attempted to handcuff Leftwich, who hit Wilson in the mouth and then fled, according to the news release. Dean and Wilson chased Leftwich and caught him. A struggle ensued and the three fell through the window of Sunshine One-Hour Cleaners at 20 E. Campbell Ave., according to the news release.
Police said Leftwich bit some of the officers. Other officers also responded to the incident, but Hooper would not release their names.
Leftwich was charged with two counts of assault and battery against two Roanoke officers, malicious wounding of a state trooper, attempted malicious wounding of a Roanoke officer and possession of marijuana.
Leftwich and Hayden recount a very different scene.
The two cousins said they were returning to their Southeast Roanoke home after an evening out on the town. Leftwich had asked Hayden, 25, to be his designated driver.
The police officer who stopped them asked Hayden to get out of the car and showed him the broken taillights, the cousins say. While he was at the rear of the car, Hayden said, the officer leaned into the open driver's side window and spoke with Leftwich.
Leftwich said the officer told him to get out of the car and then frisked him. At this point, a state trooper stopped to help.
As the two officers led him to the rear of the car, Leftwich said the city officer jumped him, placing him in a choke hold. He said the state trooper then sprayed Mace on him, and he fell to the ground.
"My head was in the concrete," said Leftwich, who had bruises on his face and neck. "I couldn't breathe."
Hayden stayed by the police car and said he watched as the officers beat his cousin. At one point, a third officer responded to the scene and held him at gunpoint, threatening to kill him if he moved, Hayden said.
Several more police cars responded, stopping Leftwich, who had tried to escape, Hayden said.
"They had grabbed him," Hayden said. "I couldn't see Steve because there were so many around him. Maybe like six of them."
Leftwich said he didn't fall through the store window during his struggle with police. He also said he never tried to grab any of the officers' guns.
Afterward, he said, police threw him in a patrol wagon, drove him around town for a while, then took him to jail.
Hayden and Leftwich would not comment on the marijuana charge.
Leftwich said he tried to make a complaint against the police at the magistrate's office, but the magistrate refused to take the complaint. Chief Magistrate Bobby Casey could not be reached for comment Monday.
State police also are conducting an internal investigation. Both Roanoke police and state police said an internal investigation is routine in cases where there are allegations of abuse. All of the officers involved remain on active duty.
Leftwich and Hayden, who are black, have enlisted the aid of the new Roanoke chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Neither would say whether they believed the incident was racially motivated. Two of the officers involved in the incident are minorities; one is black and the other is Asian-American, Hooper said.
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