Trial Begins For Inkster Cop Charged In Traffic Stop Beating Caught On Video

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A prosecutor says a Detroit-area police officer abused his power when he beat a driver bloody during a 16-punch confrontation that was captured on dash-cam video.

Jurors heard opening statements Wednesday in the trial of William Melendez, who repeatedly pummeled factory worker Floyd Dent in the head during a traffic stop in Inkster last January.

Melendez was fired and subsequently charged with assault after a TV station aired the video, sparking protests. The police chief resigned and Inkster quickly agreed to a $1.4 million settlement with Dent.

Prosecutor Robert Donaldson says a picture is "worth a thousand words" but urged jurors to pay attention to Melendez's actions seen on the video, which he says "tells the story."

"Was it reasonable as a response to the situation that was presented to him that night? A situation that he began and ended himself, and the proceeded to lie about it...," Donaldson said.

Defense attorney James Thomas urged jurors to keep an open mind.

Thomas says Inkster is a dangerous city and Melendez did his job that night, in a high-crime area, based on the facts.

"We are asking you to reasonable infer that he (Dent) was there for a short time because he was there to get drugs," Thomas said. "Drugs that he had in his urine at the hospital, that he denied to everybody, and that the prosecution still to this day doesn't get."

Thomas asked the jury to watch for more than the beating. He said Dent made a move to his right while in the car as officers approached, suggesting he was trying to hide something or reaching for a weapon.

"Tough job to be a cop anywhere," Thomas said. "They wear flak vests for a reason. It's dangerous out there, and Inkster is a dangerous city."

Thomas said Dent had six grams of cocaine in his possession — but Dent and prosecutors claim the cocaine was planted by police.

Drug charges against Dent were dropped, along with all other charges connected to the traffic stop.

Donaldson said Dent, 58, rolled through a stop sign and was driving with a suspended license but has no criminal record.

"We give them enormous power," he said of police. "We give them the power to take our freedom. We give them power to take our lives. There are limits on that power. ... A police officer cannot act in an arbitrary and capricious way."

On the witness stand, state police Lt. Twana Powell said she was ordered to investigate Dent's beating two months after it happened. She acknowledged on cross-examination that Dent did not file a complaint with Inkster about the use of force.

Asked about a chokehold around Dent's neck, Powell read directly from the Inkster police manual, which says, "Chokeholds are strictly forbidden."

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

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