A former Houston police officer has been charged for brutally beating a handcuffed man who reportedly defecated out of fear.
Another day, another story about police brutality. This incident involves former cop Lucas Vieira, who was given aggravated assault charges after brutally beating a man during a traffic violation stop on July 7, 2019. NBC News reports the alleged victim is 34-year-old Aundre Howard. In April, Howard filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing Vieira of using excessive force on him.
According to the lawsuit, Howard was driving with an expired registration, and when Vieria pulled him over, he ordered him out of the car and handcuffed him. According to the legal document, the alleged victim had no weapons and completely complied with the cop’s instructions. Despite following along with Vieria’s demands, he was still placed in the squad car. Howard ended up taking off running before a second officer could do a body cavity search.
Howard’s attorney Randall Kallinen said his client ran away because he grew more and more afraid of the officers. Vieria’s lawyer said they handcuffed Howard because they saw weed in his car. After catching up with Howard, bodycam footage shows Vieria using his handcuffs as brass knuckles and hitting Howard at least three times.
On Sunday, the Houston Police Department said Vieria – who was recently promoted to a chief position – had been placed on an indefinite suspension. According to KPRC, a spokesperson for the department said Vieira “is no longer an HPD employee.” However, reports say Vieria will be appealing the department’s move.
“We respect the grand jury’s decision,” the department said. “This case is now in the hands of the courts.”
