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Cop Arrests Man Filming Police Brutality, Tries to Destroy Evidence (VIDEO)

© YOUTUBE/lohf90Officer "John Doe" attempts to smash phone...and fails
Officer John Doe attempts to smash phone...and fails - Sputnik International
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A University of Massachusetts Amherst student has filed a suit alleging that his civil rights were violated after he was pepper sprayed, assaulted, and arrested for filming police brutality -- after an officer attempted to destroy his phone and the video evidence it contained.

Thomas Donovan, who is majoring in legal studies, was arrested on March 8 after police noticed he was filming a separate arrest during an annual St. Patrick’s Day “Blarney Blowout” event.

Donovan took out his phone to record the arrest after noting the officer appeared to be using excessive force. 

The officer, whom the courts have identified as Andrew Hulse, approached Donovan to stop him from filming. Donovan requested the officer’s information, but Hulse refused to give it. 

A second officer, Jesus Arocho, knocked the phone out of his hand and threw Donovan to the ground. 

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The phone landed flat with the camera pointed up and continued to film.

“Arocho, assisted by Defendant Andrew Hulse, placed Mr. Donovan under arrest. Meanwhile, Mr. Donovan’s phone, which had landed on the ground with the camera facing up, continued to film. It captured the actions of another police officer, Defendant John Doe 3, who walked over to the phone, stood over it, then stomped on it with his boot, several times, in an unsuccessful effort to destroy it.” the lawsuit states.

Officer Arocho arrested Donovan for “disorderly conduct” and for “riot, failure to disperse.” The charges were later dropped. 

© AP Photo / Daily Hampshire Gazette, Kevin GuttingPeople wait in a crowded courtroom at the Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, Mass., Monday, March 10, 2014 for individual arraignments of students arrested at a pre-St. Patrick's Day celebration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Cop Arrests Man Filming Police Brutality, Tries to Destroy Evidence (VIDEO) - Sputnik International
People wait in a crowded courtroom at the Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, Mass., Monday, March 10, 2014 for individual arraignments of students arrested at a pre-St. Patrick's Day celebration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Donovan’s attorney David Milton explained that recording the police’s actions were part of Donovan’s First Amendment rights. 

"I have the utmost respect for police officers who conduct themselves with integrity, but officers who blatantly disregard the law and are willing to arrest innocent civilians to cover up their own misconduct must be held accountable," Donovan, now a college senior, said in a statement.

His lawsuit seeks monetary damages.

The school suspended Donovan after his arrest, but reversed the action after conducting an investigation, according to the suit.

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