Two Miami Beach officers — Frankly Forte (pictured) and Eliut Hazzi — have been fired after a gay tourist accused them of hurling antigay epithets and arrested him without reason in 2009 after the tourist allegedly witnessed the cops beating another gay man.
Harold Strickland of Los Angeles, a former resident of Miami Beach, claims he was visiting his old neighborhood when he came upon two undercover cops beating and kicking Oscar Mendoza, also gay, in his head. Strickland called 911, but drew the attention of the officers. Strickland claims the cops called him "faggot" and "fag" before arresting him for loitering and prowling. Mendoza was also arrested that night, ostensibly for resisting arrest without violence. Charges against both Strickland and Mendoza were later dropped, reports the Miami Herald.
The two cops were recently told they were fired after years of investigations and a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union. The officers will be able to appeal for their jobs at a hearing on August 1.
Miami Beach has had a series of high-profile issues with their police force — a cop is accused of running over a couple on the beach with an ATV vehicle after he was partying in South Beach, while other officers have recently been accused of injuring locals during a Memorial Beach standoff gone awry.
Harold Strickland of Los Angeles, a former resident of Miami Beach, claims he was visiting his old neighborhood when he came upon two undercover cops beating and kicking Oscar Mendoza, also gay, in his head. Strickland called 911, but drew the attention of the officers. Strickland claims the cops called him "faggot" and "fag" before arresting him for loitering and prowling. Mendoza was also arrested that night, ostensibly for resisting arrest without violence. Charges against both Strickland and Mendoza were later dropped, reports the Miami Herald.
The two cops were recently told they were fired after years of investigations and a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union. The officers will be able to appeal for their jobs at a hearing on August 1.
Miami Beach has had a series of high-profile issues with their police force — a cop is accused of running over a couple on the beach with an ATV vehicle after he was partying in South Beach, while other officers have recently been accused of injuring locals during a Memorial Beach standoff gone awry.
