Victim of Brutal Police Beating Receives $795,000

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Alex Landau talks about being beaten up by Denver Police

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Two-and-a-half years ago Alexander Landau was brutally beaten by the police and finally received closure Monday, May 2, as the Denver City Council approved a $795,000 settlement in a lawsuit against the city brought by Landau.

Landau was pulled over on Jan 15, 2009 for making an illegal left turn. Once pulled over by the police (Officer Ricky Nixon, Cpl, Randy Murr and Officer Tiffany Middleton) Landau’s passenger, Addison Hunold, told police that he was in possession of a small amount of marijuana. Police officers started searching the car, and then Landau asked if they had a warrant. He says that after making that comment, the police officers called him a racial slur and started beating him with their fists, flashlights and a radio. Nixon and Murr claimed that Landau was reaching for Middleton’s gun, which Middleton denied later.

Landau suffered from a broken nose, concussion, broken hand and a massive cut on his forehead that required 45 stitches. He was taken to jail after being treated at the hospital. The district attorney dropped all of the charges. Landau tried to make a complaint with the Denver Police Department, but was told that he was “playing the race card” and was completely ignored.

Internal Affairs reviewed the case, but decided not to open a formal investigation. The case was later reopened. Denver Mayor Bill Vidal said that the case wasn’t properly handled and the stories the officers gave weren’t consistent with the evidence. Vidal hopes that the investigation will be complete by the time his term is up in July.

Although Nixon and Murr were recently fired for lying on reports about their use of excessive force, Landau reports that he still suffers from nightmares because of the incident and has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Amid his hardships, Landau still trusts other policemen: