From another board
http://www.huntchat.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25227
From another board
Always good to hear both sides, right?
Well, funny as it may be, I also know the cop that was ON THIS CALL. Here is his take on it, word for word:
"I was working along side Officer Anthony Johnson (AJ) on the night of this now infamous "finger" incident. Here is what TV and the papers do not tell you:
AJ had the woman's right hand cuffed. She was prone on the ground but refused to give Johnson her left hand. She retracted her left hand into her long coat sleeve and placed her arm underneath her body. She ignored several orders to surrender her left hand for handcuffing.
Johnson grabbed the end of the coat sleeve and used it to pull her arm from underneath her. He then made a decision to cut off the end of the sleeve, hoping to speed up the cuffing process. In doing so, he cut her fingers accidentally. The portion of her ring finger that was severed was about ¼ inch in length (It was the pad of her fingertip, about half way down the nail). From what I could tell, the bone in her finger was not cut. The laceration on her middle finger was slight.
It was an accident, and yes, it was a mistake. There were better options to get this woman cuffed. Although it takes several minutes to tell the story, the entire incident was over in seconds. As soon as we realized what happened, I uncuffed her and applied a pressure bandage. I recovered the piece of flesh and placed it in a plastic bag, later turning it over to the responding EMS.
No one feels worse about this than AJ. We made no effort to hide the truth in our reports (a common strategy for officers who face irrational and political witch-hunts from an Internal Affairs Bureau that cares no more for the truth than do criminals).
The woman was intoxicated (.15 BAC) and will be charged with OUIL. As with most incidents where citizens end up injured through police action, this debacle started when a hostile drunk refused to submit to lawful arrest.
AJ admitted to what he did and is very sorry. This was an unfortunate accident that has been exaggerated to a ridiculous degree. Anthony Johnson is a treasure to the Detroit Police Department. He is probably the best cop I have ever seen. He is well respected and highly talented. He is a natural leader, a devoutly religious man, and is known for his high degree of character. AJ works at Detroit’s harsh 9th Precinct and leads the Special Ops squad, which is tasked with proactive operations against street robberies and B&Es.
As far as this past incident where AJ was forced to shoot to death a “decrepit, feeble, old lady,†this is another example where the media presents only one side of the story. This woman, although elderly, somehow was quite mobile when she lunged at another officer with a knife. It was a crowded house with many people fighting and screaming. The uniformed officer in her sights was in no position to retreat, and he credits AJ for saving his life.
The shooting incident WAS investigated fully. AJ was cleared, and not because of lack of evidence or a police conspiracy! He was cleared because he did nothing wrong. The family was paid a $350K settlement. It is the policy of the City of Detroit to pass out money to avoid litigation. AJ has a sterling discipline record. He is not known for excessive force as the media has implied. Given that AJ has worked nearly ten years on Detroit’s worst streets—and has done high-felony police work with extreme effectiveness, his lack of disciplinary history is a testament to his professionalism and integrity.
What people see on television and in the papers is so far removed from reality, it is hard to believe that anyone calls it news. I call it “info-tainment,†and it is designed not to inform, but to simply sell advertising. Nor can we believe criminals who refuse to stand accountable and admit that they may have contributed to their own misfortune."