Man Didn’t Know He’d Been Beaten By Police Until Video Surfaced

Alabama Birmingham Anthony Warren didn't know he was beaten by five Birmingham police officers until video of the incident surfaced more than a year later.

by WKRG Staff/The Associated Press

Published: Thu, May 21, 2009 - 11:31 am CST Last Updated: Thu, May 21, 2009 - 11:46 am CST

The man who was beaten by five Birmingham police officers is serving 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to an assault charge in March. But he's not done with court.

Anthony Warren's attorney, Wendy Crew, filed a claim against the city in March, the first step before filing a lawsuit seeking damages. She said Wednesday the claim was over the "horrific" beating and an attempt to suppress the video of it.

District Attorney Brandon Falls said the tape surfaced unexpectedly as prosecutors were preparing to try Warren. He said prosecutors had a video of the chase "but the beating was not on the copy we had."

Falls said the prosecutor wanted to play the video for the jury but, for technical reasons, she needed another copy and asked for the original.

"We got the original the week before the trial ... and that's where she saw the rest of the tape," he said.

He said they contacted the defense, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Birmingham police chief.

On Wednesday, police chief A.C. Roper fired the five officers involved in the beating. Roper is also reviewing the action of as many as a half-dozen supervisors who saw the video over the past year and never reported it.

Crew said police "deliberately tampered with the evidence" in their handling of the video prior to the criminal trial.

"As horrific as the beating is, the deliberate tampering of evidence is just as horrific," she said.

Crew, who did not represent Warren in the criminal case, said he fled in the van because he was confronted by a man who never identified himself as an officer, was not in uniform and drove after him in an unmarked car. She said he had not been accused of any crime when the pursuit began.

She said Warren, who was hospitalized for a few days after the chase, was "totally unconscious" when he was beaten and did not know it happened until the video surfaced.

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rmseek1234 Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 12:54 pm

Attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He was “afraid” to pull over? What, did he think it was one of his homies chasing him for the dope, dope? Get real, common knowledge,if it’s an unmarked and you are in doubt, call 911 to ASK if it is one of their units.

God Judge-did you appoint yourself judge and jury? Seems I remember you condoning people killing off cops on another thread. But that’s what angry panthers do. The stories you listed-“alleged,” “accused,”-could just as well be INNOCENT.Hung by the media and gossip though. Hung by the liberal biased radicals. The only one at this point that holds water to an officer being guilty, is the one of the Sheriff in Florida, but he admitted to doing it.

snews Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 12:35 pm

Thanks Bobcat. That explains the twenty year sentence.

bobcat Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:53 am

Check the Huffington Post. He was initially being pulled over on an assault and battery charge when he eluded police and began the chase. Multiple charges were added after the chase ended including the assault on a police officer while operating a motor vehicle..

snews Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:26 am

He was ultimately convicted of assault but what started the chase? Speeding? Weaving? Tail light out? Blackness?

bobcat Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:24 am

And of him attempting murder of an officer. That too is clearly seen from the dashboard cam.

barefootangel Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:19 am

The whole point being, they do have the tape of the policemen.

barefootangel Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:15 am

Said he “fled” which in my book would mean speeding and driving crazy. Thus the police started chasing him. but that is NOT stated, just my opinion. The way he looks he could have just as easily gotten from being falling out of a rolling van and hitting face down. Boy I have all kinds of opinions today.

bobcat Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:15 am

Ironically assault and battery. Classic pot and kettle.

snews Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 9:02 am

I wasn’t at Anthony Warren’s trial, but I’d be willing to bet that his attorney would have stated that Mr. Warren fled from the police because he was afraid that he would be beaten if he was caught, an idea that the police officers reinforced by their subsequent actions. The officers weren’t fired for beating him they were fired for exposing the department to litigation. What happens next? Anthony Warren will file for appeal and the good and true men in blue in Birmingham will have to sit through hours of tedious retraining. I never did see what the police said they were pulling him over for in the first place. Anyone know?

barefootangel Says:

Fri, May 22, 2009 at 8:57 am

That’s a good one bobcat!

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