This account is from the Baltimore Sun. Don’t get your ass whupped by the Baltimore County Police people.

“Baltimore County police are reviewing the arrest of a young man outside a bar in downtown Towson early Saturday after a video of the incident, showing officers taking him to the ground and punching him repeatedly in the face, went viral online. “We are reviewing this use of force,” said Elise Armacost, a police spokeswoman. “It is not uncommon for officers to use force against subjects who resist arrest, as appears to be the case here.”

The video, taken by a bystander on the street outside the Greene Turtle on York Road, begins just before an officer yanks 19-year-old Zachary Blumenstein to the ground by the arm and climbs on top of him. A second officer rushes over and appears to drop his knee onto Blumenstein’s head. A third officer then grabs and holds Blumenstein from behind, and the second officer punches Blumenstein in the face at least seven times.”

 

Baltimore County Police

The commentary is hilarious. The best part is when the cop says, “you’re loitering at the closing of businesses” as if them whipping this man’s ass with impunity was contributing to an orderly exit at closing time.
 
The questions are obvious even though the setting is not what we’ve come to expect. What denotes necessary force when it comes to subduing a suspect? Is assault considered necessary force?
 
Does “any means necessary” mean “any force necessary”? There are always other means, and not all of them involve the use of force.
 
It would seem that if an officer is properly trained to take down a suspect, punching him or her in the face is not something that the officer should do unless he or she is trying to protect himself/herself. Now, if they’re stressed out, or frustrated because of some outside influences, as these officers clearly seem to be, they should leave that at home and do their job properly.