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Earning The Hate - Very egregious conduct by this Cop. Punk Cop shows off to other cops
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield narcotics detective Gregg A. Bigda was acquitted on four criminal counts Monday afternoon after a week-long police brutality trial.

A 27-year veteran of the police force, Bigda averted a lengthy prison sentence with the acquittals, which came after jurors deliberated for roughly nine hours over two days.

Bigda was indicted in 2018 by a federal grand jury for excessive force in connection with allegedly punching and kicking young car theft suspects during an arrest in 2016, two counts of “abusive interrogation” for threatening to kill and plant drugs on them, plus drafting a false police report. He faced up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.

Prosecutors portrayed Bigda as a racist cop who attacked the Latino boys after they stole an undercover police car left running outside a Springfield pizza shop. However, Bigda lawyer Timothy Flaherty during his opening and closing statements argued the government cherry-picked evidence and witnesses to build a skewed case against his client.

Attorneys on both sides declined to comment after the verdict.

As the centerpiece of its case, the government published ugly videos of Bigda haranguing three boys — identified at trial by their first names or initials — Georgie, 16, Daniel, 15, and Evdyele, 14.

‘I’ll f---ing kill you in the parking lot ... and I’ll stick a f---ing kilo of coke in your pocket and put you away for f---ing 15 years ... I’m not hampered by the truth because I don’t give a f--- People like you belong in jail,” he screamed at Daniel.

City detectives had tracked the boys to Palmer after they heard a call about their stolen car being spotted in Wilbraham in the early morning hours of Feb. 27, 2016. Police in neighboring communities chased the speeding car into Palmer where the chase stopped but the boys took off on foot. They were tracked with the help of a police dog to the porch of a nearby home.

Daniel testified he saw Bigda repeatedly punch Evdyele in the head while the boys were already in handcuffs on the ground. He told jurors Bigda then marched over to him, yelled: “Welcome to white town” and kicked him in the face. Bigda denied doing either.

Another officer on scene testified that a third detective, Steven Vigneault, bragged about kicking the boy in the face — and that’s where the narrative became tangled. Vigneault was originally charged in the case but that charge was dropped after Daniel said it was Bigda, not Vigneault, who assaulted him. Vigneault had previously denied this accusation though he resigned from the police force over the matter.

The government granted Vigneault immunity from prosecution during the trial, but he was never called as a witness.

The acquittals brought to a close a dark chapter for the police department but may present a conundrum for Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood. Bigda may be entitled to three years of back pay and reinstatement. He has been suspended without pay since his indictment. But, he also may face departmental charges and be fired.

“I have faith in the judicial system and honor and respect their decision. We’ll review the transcripts from the trial to ensure our Internal Investigations Unit has all the facts before moving forward with any decisions,” Clapprood said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno was less diplomatic in his response after the verdict.

“I am not the appointing authority, that rests with Commissioner Clapprood. However, this has been a stain and dark cloud hanging over our department for well over six years. I have seen the video tape. My feeling is there is no place for him on the force,” Sarno said in a statement.

Bishop Talbert Swan II, president of the Greater Springfield NAACP, also called for Bigda’s removal from the police department and decried the verdict.

“The failure to convict (Gregg) Bigda only highlights the perceived value of Black and Latino life and reinforces the stereotypes, which justify racial animus against our males, their disenfranchisement, abuse, brutalization, and mass incarceration,” Swan said in a statement. “It further sends a clear message that a white officer can be caught on video brutalizing and threatening to murder and plant evidence on citizens and be justified in the eyes of a jury.”

#earningthehate

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