34-year-old Liz Vargas, mother of four children, was pulled over in the morning this past fall. Tampa police officer Kevin Fitzpatrick said that her license plate was tinted and therefore "obscured."
Dash-cam video captured in his cruiser shows within 34 seconds of approaching Vargas, Fitzpatrick is struggling to put handcuffs on her. Vargas is screaming for help, crying out she is being abused. Then, Fitzpatrick body slams her.
The video is below and it cannot be overstated that he slams her from a standing position flat on her stomach and face while holding her hands behind her back.
“You know I wasn’t offensive, I wasn’t hurting him, I wasn’t you know, hit him.[sic] I’m not a person like that,” Liz Vargas said. According to officer Fitzpatrick’s report, Vargas repeatedly ignored his requests for her license and registration.
“It was in my glove compartment, I was telling him, but he was actually screaming at me he didn’t give me a chance,” she said. Fitzpatrick took Vargas into custody for obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest without violence
The following day, she asked the police to investigate the incident and specifically policeman Fitzpatrick. Her attorney Brett Szematowicz asked for the dash cam video of the stop and was told by both the state and the Tampa Police Department that no video of the incident existed.
“They lied about it,” Vargas said. The state attorney’s office told 8 On Your Side that it became aware in April, that the video existed.[my emphasis]
But Szematowicz still had to file a motion to compel order—in June. How clearly guilty is this department of malfeasance or at the very least criminal incompetence?
According to Vargas’ attorney, the internal affairs investigation became a negotiating point. “If Liz agreed to drop the internal affairs report, they’ll agree to drop the charges,” Szematowicz stated.
She refused, prosecutors dropped the charges away. Another question is why was Fitzpatrick’s microphone off? It was supposed to be on.you might remember i've voiced concern that body cams and such would possibly be manipulated his turned off mic is just that, the brazen lying of police about the video not existing even though they were mandatory is a a self indictment at least. whatever they come up with to monitor police especially when the police are operating as if above the law they will find a way around it.
granted denying the truth by higher ups is a stupid response, but a a simple turn or bend can obscure the view creating blind spots and hollering can distort the mic or close proximity like grabbing the victim/suspect and totally nullifting both video and audio. we not only need to learn how to pick better police but better police officials too.
