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Justice served: A cop that got what was coming to him
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Original Message
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No thin blue line to protect David Clifford, Minneapolis SWAT team leader, after he cold cocks a drunk guy, giving him brain damage, at a bar and runs away.
Rewind to last summer:
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Video catches knock-out punch, Minneapolis cop's assault charge upgraded
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) -
On Tuesday, the felony assault charges leveled against Minneapolis Police Sgt. David Clifford were upgraded from third to first degree in connection with the knock-out punch that put a bar patron in Andover on life support.
Clifford was charged after throwing a punch at Tanner's Station on June 16, hitting Brian Vander Lee during a dispute over a cell phone conversation. Vander Lee was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for bleeding on his brain.
The altercation was caught on surveillance video taken with a cell phone camera, which shows Clifford approaching and punching Vander Lee in the mouth shortly thereafter.
FOX 9 News obtained the video and showed it to Cilfford's attorney, Fred Bruno, who said he feels the charges were upgraded in retaliation for his client maintaining his innocence.
Bruno also said Vander Lee was drunk, registering a .189 blood-alcohol concentration at the time. He contends that the brawl was instigated by intoxicated man who had been causing a disturbance -- but does the video footage back it up?
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See the video at [link to www.myfoxtwincities.com] skip ahead to 0:42 to see the altercation.
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Fast forward to today:
Minneapolis cop found guilty of assault in Andover bar
[link to www.startribune.com]
Minneapolis SWAT team leader Sgt. David Clifford was found guilty Saturday of assaulting a fellow patron in an Andover bar.
The Anoka County jury reviewed evidence for several hours before reaching the verdict Saturday morning. Closing arguments in the felony first-degree assault case concluded Friday afternoon.
Clifford was convicted on three counts: first-, third- and fifth-degree assault.
“It’s just a very sobering moment when a police officer is convicted of a crime, but we felt we had to pursue justice,” Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo said minutes after the verdict.
Sentencing is set for May 29 before Judge Lawrence Johnson, with a seven-year sentence recommended under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, Palumbo said. Two-thirds of that would be served in prison, with the rest on supervised release.
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Buccicone asked why Clifford didn’t just walk away in the first place, instead of throwing a punch.
“He’s not trained to do that,” the prosecutor said. “He’s trained to win.”
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Another rogue cop removed from the streets.
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