Advertisement Team 5 uncovers allegations of excessive force by Bellingham police Video shows 'something out of Keystone Cops,' expert says Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Two Bellingham police officers are seen on video taking swing after swing at suspect Joseph O'Brien, who has one arm handcuffed to a bar and was wielding a telephone as a weapon in the other.Watch the Team 5 Investigates reportThe wild scene inside the Bellingham police department's booking room in April 2012 raised serious questions about the police officers' response.Team 5 Investigates exclusively obtained the video from Bellingham police and asked criminal justice expert and former Boston Police Lt. Tom Nolan to review it."The police response looks like something out of the Keystone Cops," said Nolan. "The video should be used as a training video in any police academy to train novice police officers what not to do."The video plays out for more than two hours as O'Brien, who had been taken into custody after being found unconscious in the woods, refuses to comply with commands. He's repeatedly hit with batons and pepper spray at least a half a dozen times.When that doesn't work, the video shows a police officer from Franklin, Mass., shocking him with a Taser twice."Why was I brought here?" asked O'Brien on the video"Because you're under arrest," answered an officer."For what?" O'Brien asked."You know what, tase him," replied an officer.Then another Bellingham officer, Sgt. Richard Perry, opened fire three times shooting bean bag bullets, a less than lethal weapon. Eventually, a K-9 dog is brought in."I've never seen anything like this in my life," said Nolan."It should never escalated to this?" asked Team 5 Investigates' Kathy Curran."He should have been put into a holding cell within two minutes of arriving at the station and once he demonstrated that he was uncooperative," said Nolan.O'Brien is no angel. He's had prior run-ins with police. In this specific case, O'Brien pleaded guilty to multiple charges including assault and battery on police officers, resisting arrest and possession of drugs. The drug ketamine was found in his system.When O'Brien was first brought into the booking room, he was co-operative but eventually become combative and officers responded with almost every tool they had except deadly force.Bellingham Police Chief Gerry Daigle first agreed to an interview with Team 5 Investigates but later backed out. He did tell us he stands behind his officers' actions and no internal investigation into the incident was done."There were head injuries, head trauma, facial injuries, he suffered broken ribs," said Ed McCormick, O'Brien's attorney. "Whether it was bad training, bad performance or ill motive, something has to explain a two-hour video of bedlam going on in the police station with one defendant.""Would you say this is a case of excessive force?" asked Curran."I would say if in the law enforcement dictionary, you look up excessive force, they'll be a picture of a scene like this. This is completely over the top," said Nolan.No action was taken against any of the officers involved.Team 5 Investigates reached out to all of them for comment but never heard back. One of the Bellingham police officers in this case, Officer John Melanson, is being sued for excessive force in another case that Team 5 exposed two months ago.O'Brien is currently considering legal action.