On Tuesday, December 13 police entered into the Occupy LA encampment in an attempt to dismantle the efforts. In the confusion of the massive police movement, there was a sole journalist who became involved in one of the most controversial aspects of the entire evening. The reporter, initials C.M., approached the outer line of police officers that were encircling the protestors and attempted to pass through them. Allegedly, C.M. displayed his LAPD-issued media identification card. He was repeatedly pushed back, however, after flashing his card several times, C.M. simply attempted to push forcefully through the line. Officers immediately attempted to subdue him, got him to the ground and arrested him.
The LAPD has since reported that C.M. was drunk during the time of the arrest and that he had ignored all clear warnings about the designated places of exit for all protestors and reporters. The reporter has since lawyered up and is claiming that the police officers behaved completely inappropriately. Home video has surfaced on the Internet that catches the entire scene unraveling – with both sides fired up about the legality of what occurred.
C.M. currently is facing arraignment on January 5. Despite the fact that the city has offered a diversion program to those arrested that evening to help them avoid going through prosecution, C.M.’s lawyer has publically stated that the reporter will not be participating. The LAPD internal affairs division has currently launched an investigation into the ongoings of that evening.
If you have recently been arrested, no matter whether it involved an Occupy movement or not, then it is in your best interests to get the involvement of a Los Angeles criminal lawyer that you can rely upon. At Okabe & Haushalter, we have been successful in handling high-stakes and high-profile cases before – you can be confident knowing that we will be willing to do this for you. If you would like to learn more about our firm and how we can help you, please do not hesitate to contact a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney today.
