Evidence Suggest that at least one Fullerton PD officer involved in both the Veth Mam arrest and death of Kelly Thomas
20 August 2011 – By Damon Baldini
A review of the online evidence seems to suggest that at least one Fullerton PD officer was present at both the arrest of Veth Mam and the brutal beating of Kelly Thomas that resulted in his death. The evidence we collected online appears to indicate that Officer Kenton Hampton was present at both events.
A report by KTTV FOX 11 indicates that Officer Hampton was one of three officers present the night of Veth Mam's unlawful arrest. In a video shot by Veth Mam during the arrest of a friend, Officer Hampton is shown knocking the phone out of Mam's hand and then forcibly dragging him to the ground.
There is also other evidence that Office Kenton Hampton was also present at the beating during the arrest of Kelly Thomas. We reported in our previous article that Kenton Hampton was placed at the scene of the arrest of Kelly Thomas and has subsequently been placed on administrative leave.
Video evidence seems to suggest that Kenton Hampton received no punishment or reprimand for his involvement in Veth Mam's arrest. Mam's lawyer has also gone to the media and stated that in both instances, Fullerton Police Officers were allowed to view evidence collected against them and work together while preparing their official reports.
The Fullerton Chief of Police Michael Sellers went on paid medical leave following the incident. According to a spokesperson for the City of Fullerton, the chief who makes in excess of $220K per year, cannot be fired while on medical leave. All other officers involved in the Kelly Thomas death are also receiving paid leave.
Social media sites and blogs have dubbed Officer Hampton "The Terminator". There are even some unconfirmed postings that Hampton may have been the one who beat Kelly Thomas in the head and face. Meanwhile, the Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas claims there is no evidence that police used excessive force in attempting to arrest of Kelly Thomas. Mayor Mayor Richard Jones, 78, a retired Air Force doctor and plastic surgeon, stated that he did not know why Kelly Thomas died that night.
In response, the activist group Anonymous has activated Operation Fullerton with a planned protest in front of the Fullerton PD on Saturday, 20 AUG 2011 at 11:00 AM PT. The group has planned some undisclosed online protest activities and has set up the hashtag #OpFullerton on Twitter. An online spokesman for Anonymous has extended a courtesy warning to local downtown merchants of Fullerton.
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