Cop Shoots 17-Yr-Old Driver With Down Syndrome He Said Was "Coming Right At Him," Video Shows He Was Driving Away

Prosecutors ignore contradictory video, exonorate deputy
Chris | InformationLiberation

May. 14, 2015

A Florida deputy claimed he was in fear for his life when he chose to shoot a 17-yr-old driver with down syndrome who he said was "coming right at him" in his mom's van, but video from a traffic camera shows the exact opposite occurred--the teen was turning in the opposite direction and driving away from him.

From WPTV:
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL - The State Attorney's Office is the legal arm that determines if an officer who shoots should face criminal charges.

We found cases in Palm Beach County that appear to show the State Attorney’s Office backing deputies, when the evidence doesn't.

October 10, 2010

Dash cam video shows 17-year-old Jeremy Hutton, who has down syndrome, stopping at the intersection of Royal Palm Beach and Okeechobee Boulevard in the van he took from his mom.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Franqui can be seen pulling around Hutton. Hutton then clips the deputy’s cruiser. The deputy fires.

“I watched the driver, he turned the wheel and started coming right at me," described Deputy Franqui later that night during a video-taped walk thru with investigators.

"I was in fear he was going to hit me," said Deputy Franqui.

PBSO and the State Attorney’s Office concluded the shooting was justified.

Case closed, until…

"I don't think anybody knew or anticipated that they were going to get caught by a traffic camera," said Stuart Kaplan, the Hutton’s civil attorney.

“This case is one of the most egregious, one of the most disturbing cases that I have pending in my office," explained Kaplan.

That's because traffic camera video from the intersection, Kaplan says, shows an entirely different story.

“The traffic camera clearly shows that Jeremy Hutton apparently was driving away from the deputy but actually turned his vehicle as far to the left as possible to completely try and avoid hitting this deputy so it’s completely inconsistent to what was told by the deputy, it's appalling,” said Kaplan.

The State Attorney’s Office, which investigates to determine if an officer who shoots should face criminal charges for it, mentions the video in its final report but not what it shows.

"The deputy was not in any danger,” said Kaplan.
Despite having access to this video, the State Attorney’s Office still exonerated the deputy. While investigating the history of police shootings handled by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, WPTV discovered they haven't indicted a single deputy involved in an on-duty shooting since the year 2000.

Hutton's attorney says the system is broken and the government's prosecutors are not acting as watchdogs but instead as lapdogs.

“In this particular case there was absolutely nothing done on the state attorney’s side other than to gather all the information that was provided to them by the very office who has now cleared this deputy. To me that's a rubber stamp.”

This is a classic case of the government investigating itself and finding itself not guilty.

You can read more on this case and many others on WPTV's website.

Watch a video report on the incident courtesy of WPTV:














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