A Miami man whose controversial Halloween night arrest has touched off an investigation into whether the officers used excessive force after it was captured on video was officially charged Wednesday with resisting arrest without violence.
But the attorney for Gilberto Matamoros says his client did nothing wrong and that the "trumped-up charges" against him should be dropped.
"These police officers picked Gilbert out of a crowd and decided to take their frustrations out on him after what happened that night. He didn’t deserve it,"attorney Ricardo Martinez-Cid said. "They beat him until be was unconscious."
A YouTube video of the violent arrest in Coconut Grove shows Miami police officers repeatedly punching a man as he lays on the ground.
Matamoros, 22, wasn't in court Wednesday, where he was charged with resisting arrest. A charge of disorderly conduct was dropped. Martinez-Cid said prosecutors told him that all the charges would be dropped, and was then surprised when they changed their mind and decided to charge him.
Martinez-Cid said he hadn't filed a lawsuit against the police yet, but he was still keeping that option open. He said his client just wants to "get his good name back."
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Two officers who were involved in the arrest are being investigated internally.
