Seattle officer seen kicking Latino man in video will not be charged

September 1, 2010 @ 11:54 am (Updated: 1:53 pm - 3/28/11 )

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By ALEX SILVERMAN
KIRO Radio

The Seattle police officer seen in a video kicking a suspect and using racially-charged language will not be charged with a hate crime.

The King County prosecutor's office says Detective Shandy Cobane will not be charged with felony malicious harassment because he did not threaten or assault the suspect because of his ethnicity, and the language he used is not in itself illegal.

"The young man was selected not because of his perceived ethnicity, but because he was a robbery suspect," said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterburg.

Seattle Police Chief John Diaz has forwarded the case to City Attorney Peter Holmes, who says he will review it and determine whether misdemeanor charges are warranted. An internal SPD investigation continues.

In an April 17th video of his interaction with a suspect outside the China Harbor resident in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, Cobane is heard using the phrase "beat the Mexican piss out of you," and seen stomping on the man's hand to stop him from moving. The suspect was later released.

Cobane has since publicly apologized for his choice of words, calling them "offensive and unprofessional."

"I wish I could rewind that night and take back those hateful words expressed," Cobane said.

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Comments (27)


  • Add A Comment

  • shadyachmed wrote...
    another pass
    September 1, 2010 12:13 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Wild Bill wrote...
    THIS SEEMS FAIR
    September 1, 2010 12:14 pm
    to me; the incident never rose to the level of the attention it got. The outrage had more to do with the raw feelings in the country over the immigration issues looming than police misconduct. HOWEVER, this wood carver, alcoholic, drug addict who got shot by the Honda dealership recently seems fishy, something is missing.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    I don't see...
    September 1, 2010 12:17 pm
    ...how these three young men could have been any more compliant with officers' orders than they were. The thuggery by the police was completely unjustified IMO.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • TravisWeger wrote...
    Hate Saying It
    September 1, 2010 12:20 pm
    Hands up on who was surprised by this. The line "There was more to this then was viedoed." Will be used as for the reasons. Wonder if someone is keeping tabs on the free passes being handed out here.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • len98531 wrote...
    Yo! It stands up
    September 1, 2010 12:28 pm
    If he hadn.t jumped the border, if he hadn't been out at night in an area known for gang activity-he would not have been kicked.All we have is a cop with bad manners. Save your ire for the whittler incident.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Ignorant statement
    September 1, 2010 12:47 pm
    1. The victim is a local kid who graduated from Franklin High.

    2. This happened on Westlake...right next to where Paul Allen is building his South Lake Union "utopia". Not exactly an area known so much for "gang activity".

    3. When did this nation become such a police state that a person can't be out at night, going about lawful activities?

    Pure ignorance.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RnD_Fan wrote...
    Good
    September 1, 2010 12:49 pm
    There was more to this than the edited video.!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    @ RnD_Fan
    September 1, 2010 1:04 pm
    I had the exact same reaction. This video shows that the cops knew they assaulted the wrong suspects. Too bad there aren't more people videotaping SPD stops. Perhaps now there will be.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Nervoso wrote...
    He was the wrong guy
    September 1, 2010 1:28 pm
    This guy so so lucky they didn't blow his brains out. If they even THINK you're doing something wrong, prepare to have your brains blown out back of your skull.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • stringer253 wrote...
    unbelievable
    September 1, 2010 1:35 pm
    I can not believe that this is the outcome of this case. A bad cop gets away with stomping on an inocent man! WOW!!! The corruption in the city of Seattle is out of control. The blue wall of silence is alive and stronger than ever in Seattle! Seattle police should not have been allowed to investigate the crime that they themselves commited. The FBI should have investigated it. Chief Diaz and Mcginn both knew about this the day it happened I was sitting with Q13's assignment manager when she called Shawn at SPD Media relations and they hid it from the public taking no action against these officers at all until I gave the video to KIRO. They called me when I released it on youtube and said they wanted the tape. When I refused I was fired by Q13 within 5 minutes. Thats when I gave the video to KIRO. When I was on the witness stand in the so called secret evedence finding hearing, it was clear to me by the line of questioning that the prosecutor was looking to discredit the video and myself and clear these cops. She also violated the judges gag order and leaked information from the closed hearing to Ericka Hill at Q13 Fox. Does this mean that I as the videographer who shot this video now get to investigate the crimes I allegedly commited? I think thats fair. From this day forward I will use my cameras as a tool to catch Seattle Police in thier daily corrupt and criminal behavior. Wacth out SPD I am watching and my camera is rolling!!! I will be behind ya'll every time you turn around, See ya'll in the CD. Jud Morris JWM News Productions
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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