New York – Tied with his hands behind his back, locked in a cell, Matteo Falcinelli suddenly smiles, looks at one of the policemen who is inviting him to calm down, and tells him defiantly: “You better look at that face… this face… because I will take you and the others to court”.
The video war
In this war of videos that have been telling versions of the story for a week, the positions of the police and the municipality of North Miami Beach arrive, placing all the responsibility on the boy, defined in the officers’ report as “hysterical, in a state of alteration, bellicose.”
“Why am I here?”: the new video by Matteo Falcinelli
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Thrown into a cell and hogtied
Falcinelli, 25 years old, a university student enrolled at Florida International University, was arrested on the night between 24 and 25 February outside a stripclub, where according to his version he had ended up by mistake, thrown into a cell, held for thirteen minutes in position of being “hogtied”, tied hand and foot, locked up for almost three days in a cell, without, according to his mother, family or friends being able to contact him.
“I never touched the officers”: Falcinelli in his cell in tears
“A widely used technique”
According to a representative of the municipality, after the review of all the video material, the conclusions are clear and refer to a study from four years ago: “Based on the 2020 report of the statistics office of the Department of Justice, the technique of tying legs is widely used as a tool by law enforcement. The police used force in line with the department’s protocol.” “From the videos – adds the municipality – it emerges that Mr. Falcinelli behaves aggressively from the moment before the arrest, during his detention and while he is transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center”. “Mr Falcinelli’s legs were tied – he states – after he repeatedly banged his head against the cell door. The decision was made to ensure his safety.”
Matteo Falcinelli, new video from the Miami cell: “I haven’t done anything, I can pay bail”
“Images without context”
“Showing only the images in which he is tied hand and foot – he continues – without the context of his behavior can lead to a partial version of what really happened”. The municipality’s latest reference is to the first video published last week in Italy and released by the boy’s mother, Vlasta Studenicova. It was what shocked Italians and turned this episode into a case. The images documented the moments of the arrest. The boy, locked in the cell, already handcuffed, had been surrounded by four officers, also tied at the ankles and put on the ground, first on his side, and then sliding face down, in a very dangerous position, which can cause breathing problems . Falcinelli remained that way for about thirteen minutes. The officers’ reaction appeared unmotivated, because the boy had seemed calm. Days later, other videos were released in which Falcinelli, outside the stripclub, asked the officers to recover from the club the two cell phones that had been seized from him and in which he had credit cards, bank and university apps.
Arrest of Matteo Falcinelli in Miami, two other videos deny the police: he never hit the officers
by Massimo Basile
The Farnesina’s request for clarification
Nine days after the public complaint that pushed the Farnesina to ask for clarification from the Miami police, and after an investigation launched by the Rome prosecutor’s office, the videos have arrived documenting the rest of the story, accompanied by the positions of the police and administration of North Miami Beach. Republic came into possession of both the twenty-three videos and the internal documents drawn up by the police.
The violent arm of the Miami police: 50 cases of abuse before Falcinelli. The mother: “My son tortured, as I saw in films about the Gestapo”
by Massimo Basile
Police documents
The supervisor who followed the story when Falcinelli arrived at the police station is the deputy chief Nelson Camacho. “I was on duty – he writes in the internal report – at 3.30 the officers Ruiz e Holy Love were summoned by the staff, regarding the altered man (the term “intoxicated” is used, in a state of alteration, when talking about chemical alteration, from drugs or narcotics, or alcohol, ed.), the suspect Mateo (spelled like this , ed.) Falcinelli, who was causing disturbance within the club. Falcinelli was escorted out and refused to leave the area. After numerous requests from the officers he became belligerent towards the officers and uttered incoherent phrases such as ‘shut the fuck up’. Falcinelli intentionally touched and pushed Amour onto her chest, demanding his money back.”
Matteo Falcinelli, a new video that shows the phases before the arrest: the discussion with the police
The state of alteration
The images we have seen, and recorded by the policemen’s body cams, do not show Falcinelli asking for the money back, but for the phones. But the student appears altered and exasperated. He addresses the agents in a defiant manner which in the United States, as he himself should know having lived there for years, can immediately lead to arrest. The student, at the height of frustration, and before being handcuffed, makes the threatening gesture twice with his two index fingers and thumbs placed in a circle, to say ‘I’ll kick your ass like this’. He says “fuck you” several times.
“Open a CIA and FBI investigation”
“At 3.37 am – states the supervisor in his report – Falcinelli told the agents: ‘I want an investigation to be opened by the CIA and the FBI, then he went towards agent Ruiz and touched his chest. At this point officers Ruiz and Amour tried to block Falcinelli. Falcinelli did not allow the officers to do so and at that point he was put on the ground and handcuffed.” The report mentions the abrasion on the boy’s left cheek. In another passage, they write about him: “Hysterical, in a state of alteration, he cried and did not provide detailed statements.” The boy’s mother disputed the version of the reports and believes that they are not faithful to what the images show.
The videos: Falcinelli touches the agents
In the twenty-three files that document what happens on the night of the arrest, Falcinelli is seen several times touching, recklessly, with the back of his right hand, the identification plate given to an officer. The policeman tells him not to do it or he will end up arrested. He replies: “If you touch me you’ll end up in jail and I’ll kick your ass like this”. In a state of confusion, he invokes the Second Amendment for his protection, which is notoriously cited for those who support the right to go around armed, says “shut the fuck up, I have my rights”, repeats the threatening gesture with his hands placed in a circle . “Give me back my cell phones – he shouts – I have my rights. You are at the service of the citizens, give me my cell phones, I want a CIA and FBI investigation.”
Grounded and immobilized
The student looks at an officer, says: “Give me your name”, approaches as if to touch the identification plate and it is at that moment that the officers’ reaction is triggered. Falcinelli is immobilized, put on the ground. The police speak in the report of “resisting arrest”, but the images do not document any aggressive reaction. More police cars arrive and from that moment one of the team asks to turn off the audio on the bodycams. A video is silent between minutes 6.43 and 14.22. Why?
The arrival at the police station: “You have no idea who I know”
Once taken to the North Miami Beach police station, Falcinelli appears very shaken. He cries, says “don’t touch me”. The officers keep saying “behave”. They take off his belt and shoes, search him and lock him in a cell. Falcinelli never resists. He says “I’m not resisting, come on”. This video also remains silent for three minutes. In another, the student makes a somewhat surreal request. “I want the police.” “But it’s us,” an officer replies. “No – replies the boy – I want the real one”. After some resistance from the Italian, who responds with another “fuck you”, the wound on his cheekbone is treated. At a certain point he makes another mistake according to US standards: “You have no idea – he says – you have no idea who I know”.
“We’ll tie you up more”
In another clip, a policeman orders him to sit down. “Otherwise,” he adds, “we’ll tie you up.” “But I’m already handcuffed,” replies Matteo. “We’ll tie you up more,” replies the other. The reference is to the boy’s attempt to bang his head against the glass of the cell door. In the first video, released a week ago, he appears neither at that moment nor when the officers tell him to stay still for his “good”. The policemen tell him that they want to hold him down to protect him, then they tell him that they are under arrest. “But what did I do?”, he asks. Falcinelli becomes even more upset. “You’re in a bad position – they tell him – you have no control here, listen to me”. They tell him that he will have to take mug shots. It is at that point, at 4.24 in the morning, that the student challenges the officers: “Look carefully at this face, because I will take you and the others to court.”
“Hogtied to prevent him from getting hurt”
When he is also tied at the ankles, it will be an attempt to prevent him from breaking his head. They are chilling images. A policeman, the city hall notes, “holds his head to prevent him from getting hurt.” The “hogtie” position is considered normal, even if in reality the US Department of Justice has banned it since 1995. In New York and Los Angeles “hogtie” is prohibited. In Miami, it’s allowed. What four other clips document shows the student’s nervous breakdowns which lead, according to the mother’s story, to the four suicide attempts. Put inside the police car to be transferred to the detention center, at the height of exasperation, Matteo curses, repeats “please, please”, then bangs his head against the iron bars that are located outside interior of the car. First nine times. Then seventeen times. Then he says “sir, sir”, sir, and then explodes in anger again and shouts in Italian “I won’t let him, I won’t let him breathe”. He swears in Italian, then says in English “I can’t breathe, I need to breathe”. At that point he bangs his head against the bars four more times, “please please, please, I need help”.
The accusations
Falcinelli was charged with two counts of assault against law enforcement officers, resisting arrest and trespassing. He reached a settlement on two cases of assault and one of resisting arrest. The charge of trespassing – linked to the desire to return to the strip club from which he had been kicked out – was dropped.
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– 2024-05-12 14:00:34
