St. Louis police investigate taped confrontation

ST. LOUIS -- A videotaped police confrontation with a violent suspect whose family said suffers from psychological problems is under review by the city.

Mario Crump, 47, was charged March 22 with three misdemeanors: resisting arrest and two counts of third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer. Court records indicate Crump has multiple assault convictions among more than 20 previous arrests.

Crump's grandson videotaped a portion of the police encounter after it had begun, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday. The tape shows one officer hitting Crump with his baton multiple times after Crump, who was seated, kicked the officer's partner to the ground and then continued to kick the baton-wielding officer. The officer who was kicked responded with a punch as Crump's relatives can be heard shouting at him to cooperate.

St. Louis police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said chief Sam Dotson has seen the video.

"While the totality of the circumstances of the incident are not yet completely known, what is shown in the video prompted the Department to initiate an internal investigation," she wrote.

Mike Keller is the executive director of a local rehabilitation program where Crump is treated. Keller said the center serves people who suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or related conditions. Keller said he complained to police after seeing the video. He also said Crump broke both his hands and six of his fingers and had a head wound that required five staples to close.

"I looked at it and it made me sick," he said of the tape.

Arrest records show that Crump's family called police for help managing Crump. The documents say that Crump poses a danger to the community because of psychological issues.

Jackson said 700 city police officers -- including the two who arrested Crump -- have received crisis-intervention training that includes guidance on interacting with people with disabilities and mental illness.

In a probable cause statement, one of the officers said, "When my partner and I attempted to speak with defendant, he adopted a fighting stance and began striking and kicking us as we attempted to handcuff him."

On Wednesday, Crump told the newspaper that he wished he could talk about the incident, but his lawyer had advised against it. His lawyer did not return messages from the newspaper seeking comment.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com