Euclid officer seen hitting suspect had past issues
cellphone while gathering evidence in a criminal case.
And in 2016, he hit a suspect with his gun out of fear for his safety. A letter written that August by Lt. Timothy Verh said that when asked about the incident, Amiott lost his temper and said, “Just read me Garrity. I heard how you are from other guys and wouldn’t have believed it, now I do.”
“Garrity statements,” as they’re commonly called, refers to the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision that protects public employees from incriminating themselves in statements to their employer.
He was given a written reprimand after hitting a suspect with a gun and mouthing off to his supervisor and for the two crashes. He was given an oral reprimand after he lost the cellphone.
Amiott and officer Matt Gilmer stopped Richard Hubbard, 25, before 10:30 a.m. The officers ordered him to get out of the car and to face away from them so they could arrest him, police said.
He did not face away, police said.
An officer is seen in the video slamming Hubbard on the ground, grabbing his neck and punching his head.
Police handcuffed Hubbard and took him to a patrol car. A woman who was a passenger in the car is seen in the video screaming during the struggle. She was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car.
Hubbard was medically examined at the Cuyahoga County Jail Euclid Annex, police said. He later posted bond on charges of driving under suspension and resisting arrest.
Euclid Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #18 President Dave Trend released a statement Thursday saying that the union stands by Amiotti. In it, Trend says that it’s “easy to provide commentary after the fact.”
“We stand with Officer Amiott and we hope that people will not rush to judgment, but rather will understand the literally-split-second decision and response required of our police and will let the administrative review process play out,” he wrote.
Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer released a statement four days after the incident. Euclid Mayor Kirsten Gail also has released a statement calling the video “disturbing and difficult to watch.”