Outrage at Calif. cops over homeless death

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Until last month, the most pressing issues in this quiet Southern California suburb were whether to build homes on rolling hills north of the city, how best to preserve a historic movie theater and a downtown bar scene that got a little too popular for its own good.

Now, the city that's home to five colleges and a vibrant nightlife is the target of international outrage after a mentally ill homeless man died following a violent fight with six police officers that was captured on camera. In the video, Kelly Thomas, 37, who suffered from schizophrenia, can be heard crying out for his father over the zapping sound of a stun gun.

The fight last month has ensnared Fullerton in an ever-widening array of state and federal investigations, resignations and rowdy protests. Last week, the acting police chief ordered an internal investigation into an unrelated, but volatile confrontation last year after reviewing cellphone footage that appears to contradict sworn testimony given by police officers in court.

Public outcry over the new video prompted the department to acknowledge that officers may have arrested the wrong man. That man, Veth Mam, filed a federal complaint on Friday, alleging officers used excessive force and falsified their police reports after arresting him. Mam, 35, was acquitted by a jury earlier this month on charges of assault, battery and resisting arrest, in part because of cellphone video depicting his own arrest.

The two confrontations have put Fullerton on the map from Germany to Korea -- and unhappy residents and business owners are hunkering down.

"It's a very friendly place . . . because this has happened now that's all that anybody knows about us," said Michael Ritto, president of the Fullerton Downtown Business Association. "People are all upset, people are marching. I go to work and every day, all day, there's TV cameras and crews everywhere."

The city's biggest quality-of-life issue, an overly active bar scene, has been somewhat tamed in past years but is still an issue for police. Mam's arrest last year happened as bars were letting out around 2 a.m.

Things began spiraling out of control on July 5, when Thomas got into a violent fight with police officers who were responding to reports that someone had been burglarizing cars at a downtown transit station. Thomas, who suffered severe head and neck injuries, was taken off life support on July 10.

The fight was captured from a distance by a bystander with a cell phone camera and surveillance video from a bus captured witnesses telling the bus driver that officers had beaten and repeatedly used a stun gun on Thomas as he cried out for help.