No charges filed against officer in LA beating case

LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors announced Thursday they will not file charges against a police officer who was videotaped clubbing a car-theft suspect with a flashlight in a case that evoked comparisons to the Rodney King beating.

The decision was denounced by minority community leaders and Mayor James Hahn, who said, "I do not agree with that decision. I saw what you saw."

The district attorney's office spent five months reviewing the incident, in which Officer John Hatfield struck Stanley Miller 11 times with a 2-pound steel flashlight after a June 23 car-and-foot chase.

"In light of the totality of the circumstances facing Officer Hatfield, we cannot establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Hatfield's actions were without legal necessity," said Deputy District Attorney Margo Baxter.

Miller, who is black, was beaten on the ground after he appeared to have surrendered. Hatfield, who is Hispanic, joined officers who pushed Miller down.

The arrest, which was recorded by TV news helicopters, was compared by critics to the 1991 videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King .

The district attorney's report depicted a chaotic scramble to subdue Miller after the high-speed chase of an allegedly stolen car. During the chase, Hatfield's partner broadcast the "suspect is reaching for something under the seat."

According to the report, another officer who grappled with Miller said he saw a small bulge in Miller's waistband and shouted "gun" during the melee. No gun was found afterward but the district attorney's report said police could not have known that.

Separately, the Los Angeles Police Department is reviewing the actions of nine officers involved in the incident. All remain on the payroll, although six have been suspended from active duty. The review could result in disciplinary action.

The police union credited the district attorney for "even-handedness" and "not basing his decision on the sometimes shrill coverage that this case has received in the media."

"News video, shot from a helicopter, from one angle and in the dark, does not tell the whole story," police union president Bob Baker said in a statement.

The district attorney's decision "points out the regrettable reality that all too often in this community we have to deal with a double standard in justice," said John Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League.

Miller, who turns 37 on Friday, has filed a $25 million claim against the city, saying he suffered brain damage and other injuries in the arrest.

He was sentenced in December to three years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle and evading police.