I know the video looks bad...so did Rodney King and old Floyd. All were thugs, turned out. All were high and stubborn and didn't comply with the officer's requests.
I have had cops for friends all my life, and my first intent is to see the other side of the matter. Four able-bodied men didn't just snap and kill for no reason at all. Being on jury duty , first thing learned is to closely consider due process and see any and all evidence from both sides. Those cops were not rookies, either.
I too feel that something that boy did or said to them keyed them up. Or maybe some weapon he had that they saw or knew he was reaching for.
If what those seasoned, experienced men did was thoroughly out of line, then so be it. They could have been much more efficient in hand to hand take down...knowing how to sweep someone off their feet , using nerve pressure holds, or a pop to the ankles or shins, would have taken him under control in a fraction of the time , to hook him up . I have seen cops do that with ease...but they have to know martial arts . Not just wrestle someone for minutes.
I have wanted to hear the cop's side of things. No one really has.
I will side with my hard-working LE hands down, every time, until due process proves otherwise.
A leg sweep is rather easy to learn. There are techniques they can train cops to keep somebody on the ground but it has to be practiced a lot not just in once a year training. Most cops don’t want to spend that much time training to get proficient at it.