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I think it was a bit excessive. Even if skateboarding is banned in that area, I doubt it's even a misdemeanor. A citation at most. I think the way he reacted would be the equivalent of a full-on felony stop for not wearing your seatbelt or having a headlight out.
Was it within his power? Yes.
Was it a reasonable use of that power? I don't think so. But if he was doing what he was trained to do, then he isn't at fault. I think he definitely needs to brush up on his takedowns though because he's inept (at best) in that department.
True, the kids weren't supposed to be skateboarding there. True, one did run away. But that doesn't give him license to take down the other kids who were standing off to the side simply for being there. The charges should be dropped. If the cop knows what's good for him, he won't show up for court. his name is already all over the universe thanks to the video.
This guy reminds of Jeremy Morse, the Inglewood cop who picked up that kid and slammed him onto the trunk and then punched him in the face like 5 years ago. That guy got fired, then almost sent to jail and then he got paid for being discriminated against. Now THAT was fucked up.
On a sidenote, a thousand skaters skated through SF yesterday and the cops didn't arrest anyone. I don't think they even gave out any tickets. I love the SFPD. They've got better things to do than mess with kids skating or guys like me with modified exhausts.
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