Public Calls for Answers in Police Beating Incident

The interaction occurred on July 5, 2011 when police officers responded to reports of car break-ins in a parking lot adjacent to a Fullerton, California bus station. According to witnesses, Thomas attempted to flee when officers went to search his bag. As a result, he was subdued by a total of six officers and beaten into unconsciousness. According to one witness, officers employed the taser gun six times during the altercation. Thomas died when he was taken off of life support five days later.

A cell phone video and a bus surveillance video that captured witnesses discussing the incident with a bus driver immediately after the event have been released but a crucial surveillance video has been kept under wraps. The tape is currently being analyzed by the Orange County District Attorney's office, which has been asked to investigate the matter. The FBI is also conducting a probe to determine if Thomas' civil rights were violated.


Many argue that the police department only caused an escalation of anger and frustration by refusing to release information to the public as it became available. “If you don't present the department's side of the incident, someone else will fill that news vacuum and tell the story,” said retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Cmdr. Charles Heal. According to the veteran of force investigations who has testified in a number of cases, certain information could have been made public without risking the integrity of the investigation.

The cause of death has not yet been established and results are not expected to be finalized until toxicology reports are available in another month or so. Even when toxicology results become available, the public may not be privy to the information until the district attorney's office and the Fullerton Police Department have completed all related investigations.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has asked the city of Fullerton to review how its police officers deal individuals with possible mental illnesses. Thomas, who had a history of paranoid schizophrenia, first showed signs of the illness in his early 20s. He was arrested for hitting his grandfather in the head with a fireplace poker and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. After serving jail time, he was sent to a locked psychiatric center as a ward of Orange County. Multiple times between 2003 and 2006, the county was forced to step in and take over conservator duties when it was determined that Thomas could not care for himself.

His father, Ron Thomas, a former police officer and construction worker, forced his son into treatment a number of times but knew that the centers would only hold him for a matter of weeks or months. Getting Thomas back into treatment was a constant struggle for his family but according to his father, Thomas was able to function and hold down a job whenever he was receiving care. However, when released, he would eventually stop taking his medication and vanish. During his time on the streets, Thomas established a record of petty crimes including public urination, vandalism, trespassing, unlawful camping, and petty theft. In 2010, his mother obtained a five-year restraining order against Thomas in an effort to force him into treatment again. According to court papers, when Thomas was asked to leave her porch, where he was sleeping, he yelled, removed his clothing, and urinated on her front door.

Since the release of videos and pictures of Thomas following the beating, the public has stepped in to call for reform. Many assert that City Council members who previously served on the police force have worked to protect the department in such cases where an obvious abuse of power is involved. Two Fullerton City Council members, Sharon Quirk-Silva and Bruce Whitaker, have also called for the resignation of the police chief. All six of the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. Only at the end of the investigation will it be determined if any of the officers will be terminated, suspended, or exonerated.