Los Angeles officers deny charges over videotaped beating

A police officer caught on videotape pummelling a 16-year-old boy in Los Angeles appeared in court yesterday to deny assault. Officer Jeremy Morse's solicitor said he had used a "reasonable" amount of force under the circumstances.

The charge follows an impressively speedy six-day grand jury investigation into the incident ­ the pace of the panel's work apparently determined by a desire to allay racial tensions in Los Angeles as much as to serve the cause of justice.

The beating meted out to Donovan Jackson in the largely African-American neighbourhood of Inglewood on 6 July was immediately reminiscent of the police assault on Rodney King, the trigger for the Los Angeles riots of 10 years ago. In both cases the victim was black. In both cases the violence was captured on videotape by a passer-by and broadcast repeatedly on local and national television.

Where the two cases have diverged is in the official response. In the Rodney King case, police refused to condemn the behaviour of the officers and successfully fought to have them acquitted at their criminal trial on the eve of the riots. In the Jackson case, fears of inner-city violence appear to have dictated a swift timetable of disciplinary action and criminal indictment against Officer Morse and his colleague Bijan Darvish, who denies filing a false report.

In addition to the grand jury investigation, the Inglewood police and other agencies are rushing to complete internal investigations and are expected to decide whether to suspend or dismiss the officers in the next few days. The leading civil rights lawyer for the Justice Department has also been involved, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The exact sequence of events on 6 July is a matter of some dispute. What is known is that Donovan Jackson and his father, Coby Chavis, were stopped at a petrol station because of a problem with their car licence plate.

The video, shot by an unemployed local disc jockey, begins with Donovan lying on the ground in handcuffs. Officer Morse picks him up, slams him against the patrol car and punches him in the face.

According to his lawyer, Officer Morse has not denied punching the boy but says he did it after the boy grabbed his testicles.The two officers are expected to plead not guilty.

Activists have long complained that such incidents of apparent police brutality are common, and that the only thing different about the Jackson case is that it was caught on camera.

Officers Morse and Darvish were released on bail of about $25,000 (£16,000) each yesterday. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to three years.