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Luke Burbank: Conflict shown in latest SPD video didn't have to happen

BY Jamie Skorheim  on January 7, 2013 @ 11:47 am (Updated: 10:54 am - 1/25/13 )

After watching a video released Friday by a lawyer showing a Seattle police officer striking a man during an arrest in 2010, KIRO Radio's Luke Burbank says the thing that bothers him most is that it appears the conflict didn't have to happen.

"Watch the video and ask yourself: Did this need to happen?" said Burbank on Monday's Ross and Burbank Show.

The video shows Isaac Ocak, 18 at the time, who had left a car locked with the engine running outside a department store while he returned some items on Dec. 29, 2010, said his attorney, James Egan. When he came back, officers questioned him about why he'd left it there.

The video shows Ocak speaking with the officers and referring to one as "sir" but becoming more agitated as he was questioned. As the questioning continued, Ocak occasionally lifted his hands off the hood of a patrol car despite orders to leave them there. As officers pressed him to the hood, Ocak resisted. An officer is seen grabbing Ocak's mouth and Ocak bit him, prompting the officer to punch him twice in the head as other officers held him down.

Watching the physical exchange, Luke says the officer's behavior certainly isn't the worst of the worst, but it seems the way the situation deteriorated could have been avoided.

"It is a situation that did not have to happen, in my opinion," says Luke. "I would describe this kid's behavior as annoyed but compliant. He's bothered because he doesn't think the officer should be hassling him [...] Looking at the situation, the kid does not seem to present a threat."

Ocak's attorney James Egan obtained the video under the state's Public Records Act and publicized it Friday after filing a complaint for damages against the city on Ocak's behalf.

Egan said the incident shows unnecessary aggression by the officers, and fits in with the Justice Department's findings that Seattle police had a pattern of unnecessarily using force, especially in low-level situations that could be resolved verbally.

Taking a look at the consequences now, Luke says it's upsetting things had to go this way.

"What you have at the end of it is an officer apparently with a bit finger. You have a kid that got roughed up pretty good. You've got a $100,000 lawsuit against the police department, which by the way means us, when it comes to who pays this out, all over something that didn't necessarily have to happen."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jamie Skorheim, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Whether it's floating on Green Lake, eating shrimp tacos at Agua Verde, or taking weekend drives out to the Cascades, she loves to enjoy the Pacific Northwest lifestyle as much as humanly possible.
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Comments (16)


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  • Gunther wrote...
    Poor Boy
    January 8, 2013 1:33 am
    If you have never worked as a Police Officer it's easy to Monday morning quarterback. This kid is a punk and should have done as instructed. If he had a problem with the stop he certainly could have complained when it was over. When someone does not follow instructions and becomes agitated you have to take control. As the violent crime continues to rise you continue to keep criticizing the Police. Pretty soon your police will be afraid to do anything for fear of a complaint. I already avoid shopping or dining in Seattle due to the crime.
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  • Nervoso wrote...
    I hope he sues the daylights out of the city
    January 8, 2013 8:43 am
    maybe they will finally have to clean up the department
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  • MagneticPatriot wrote...
    AJ - “We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”
    January 9, 2013 12:30 pm
    His actions resulted in re-actions. Maybe if he took the time and did the right thing this story would have never been written.

    Put the blame back on the individual!

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  • Robert1429 wrote...
    Please tell me
    March 4, 2013 8:59 pm
    Those cops were diciplined. What happened to protect and serve. Not hassle. They are public servants We pay there salaries. This is despicable behavior by those who are PAID to be role models. Seattle PD is out of control. Now the goof they have doing the review is a criminal.
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