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Oct 29, 2009 5:51 pm US/Eastern
Student At Center Of FMU Clash Speaks Out
MIAMI GARDENS (CBS4) ―
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Emory Mitchell
Miami-Dade Police/CBS
The student at the center of a clash Tuesday between campus security guards at Florida Memorial College and a crowd of students is finally speaking out about the incident. It all began when Emory Mitchell refused to show his campus ID to a security who asked to see it.
The two got into fight which escalated into a shoving match. More guards arrived and they eventually cornered Mitchell in a bathroom.
"I was afraid because I knew they were going to beat me," Emory Mitchell told CBS4's Sharrie Williams.
According to the police report, the security guard said he suspected Mitchell had drugs on him. The police report said Mitchell walked away and went into a bathroom. At that point, Mitchell said 3 guards followed him into the bathroom, searched him, and attacked him.
"Fists, baton,elbow, knees, everything, every use of force you could imagine," Mitchell said were used on him. "They snapped my head against the bathroom sink, against the wall, the stall."
Students who gathered outside the men's room said they could hear kicking and thumping through the door. Some of the students who felt they had to defend their friend, kicked the bathroom door in, clipping one of the guards.
"Everyone was frustrated; everyone was angry, everybody was screaming and yelling, telling them to get out of the bathroom," said student Taneshia Toussaint.
On a video of the incident, a disheveled Mitchell coming out of the bathroom in handcuffs as the surrounding students screamed and pushed at the guards. That's when one of the guards pulled his gun and waved it at the crowd.
Mitchell was arrested and charged with felony battery. Florida Memorial suspended the junior indefinitely. "I feel helpless right now. I can't even go back to school and I'm down here from Ft. Myers to get my education," Mitchell said.
Mitchell's attorneys said the charges are baseless and the guards were out of line. "I thnk a more thorough investigation should have taken place before a knee jerk reaction of an arrest," lawyer Peter Heller said. "As private security guards, they are just citizens like you and I. They have no lawful right to search someone."
Mitchells attorneys are pushing for a hearing with Florida Memorial University to get the 19 year old reinstated they are also looking into filing charges against the officers involved in the incident. His fellow students had hoped to hold a rally on campus in support of Mitchell on Thursday, but school officials did not approve the rally.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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