"Disgusting," "sad," "brutal" and "over the top" were among the words used by Attorney Scott Gleason to describe surveillance video that shows Seabrook police officers slamming a local teen into a concrete wall before pepper spraying him while he was already on the ground, according to the Union Leader.
The Union Leader recently spoke with Gleason, the attorney for Michael Bergeron Jr., who was 19 years old and in custody on driving while intoxicated and marijuana charges when he was the alleged victim of police brutality — the video of which went viral after Bergeron posted it last week on YouTube.
Three of the four officers shown in the Nov. 11, 2009, video are now on paid administrative leave pending a multi-agency criminal investigation into potential civil rights violations.
Official incident reports written by three of the officers have been released to the public, although the Union Leader has reported that Gleason takes great issue with the fact that the officer shown slamming his client into the wall — Mark Richardson — didn't actually file a report.
"It's not uncommon for officers assisting to not file a report," said Gleason. "In this circumstance it's another highly suspicious aspect to this because we've all seen the video now. We know what he did. It's just a disturbing, disturbing event."
Gleason hasn't returned calls from Patch seeking comment.
Seabrook officers Adam Laurent and Keith Dietenhofer were the other officers suspended for the incident, which occurred in the town's police station. The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Attorney's Office are jointly investigating the officers.
Senior Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Jane Young, the incident's lead investigator, couldn't be reached for comment.
Bergeron has claimed on YouTube that he has lasting injuries due to the alleged brutality.
Bergeron, now 23, is due in Seabrook District Court on Wednesday on an unrelated assault charge and also has other active charges pending, including a felony burglary charge.
RELATED STORIES:
- Man Posts Video of Alleged Police Brutality Inside Station
- AG's Office Investigating 3 Officers Accused of Brutality
- Suspended Cops Used Force to End 'Emotional Rollercoaster'
- Chief: Alleged Police Brutality a 'Dark Cloud' Over Dept.
- Court Docs Reveal Police Brutality Victim's Lengthy Record
- Second Video Surfaces Alleging Seabrook Police Misconduct
- Police: No Investigation Coming Into 2nd Misconduct Video
- Read: Arrest Report for Alleged Police Brutality Victim
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