To face felony charges in connection with the beating of a homeless man who had been drinking outside a shopping mall last month, two former South Florida police officers turned themselves in on Thursday morning, according to officials.
On Thursday morning in Miami, Lorenzo Orfila, 27, and Rafael Otano, 22, were arrested and sent to jail.
Orfila was also charged with official misconduct, according to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who announced at a press conference.
They were each charged with kidnapping and violence.
She claimed that on the afternoon of December 17, the cops were called to the retail center regarding a homeless guy known to frequent the area.
The individual was restrained, placed in a patrol car, and taken to a distant area many miles away.
According to Fernandez Rundle, “he was hauled out of the marked car, and while handcuffed, he was allegedly pummeled and pushed to the ground by the officers.”
Later, the man claimed to have been left there unrestrained and unconscious.
An off-duty Hialeah police officer walking his dog noticed him as he started walking, according to Fernandez Rundle.
The policeman dialed 911.
According to her, detectives could not find “any breaches that would have led or justified taking him into prison” on security footage from the mall.
After 12 days of the investigation, detectives discovered that a bystander had contacted the victim and offered him $1,200 to retract his earlier statement.
According to Fernandez Rundle, the victim eventually admitted to taking the money “because he’s homeless and unemployed” and indicated that his original claim was true.
The civilian was accused of interfering with witnesses.
George Funete, the chief of the Hialeah police department, declared that the conduct “would not be accepted,” adding that both officers were relieved of their patrol responsibilities following the event and fired after the inquiry was complete.
Whether Orfila and Otano have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf was not immediately known.
Here’s surveillance video from 12/17 when 2 Hialeah policemen picked up a homeless man for a disturbance. Instead of being arrested and charged, prosecutors say he was kidnapped, driven to a secluded area and beaten. Those cops and one other were arrested. @wsvn pic.twitter.com/YlikdkLcq0
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) January 26, 2023
WATCH LIVE: The State Attorney's Office is holding a news conference to announce felony charges against 2 Hialeah Police officers. MORE INFO: https://t.co/U9Rj9ySORS
https://t.co/UxOFrWEh5i— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) January 26, 2023
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