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Published on 08/14/1995 All articles from this issue

Man spreads message of alleged police beating with fliers, signs

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by Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

Twenty-eight-year-old Eric Hauser has been blanketing Los Altos with lime-green fliers claiming his 66-year-old father was "beaten with a baton numerous times ... by an officer of the Los Altos Police Department" on July 22.

Police offer a different story. Capt. Jerry Little said a Los Altos police officer stopped Hugo Hauser at 4:44 p.m. on July 22 on Foothill Expressway near Magdalena Avenue. Hauser, a 66-year-old Mountain View resident, was reportedly driving his Toyota Celica 50 mph in a 35 mph zone.

"The driver was extremely hostile to the officer," Little said. "He told the officer he'd beat the s- out of the officer if he gave Hauser a ticket.

"The officer tried to keep the door closed. The man spit, opened the door and began swinging at the officer," Little said.

The officer used a pepper spray on Hauser, removed his baton, and ordered Hauser to the ground, Little said.

"The man lunged," Little said. So the officer used more spray. "A passer-by assisted the officer in wrestling Hauser to the ground."

Hauser was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose and has been charged by the county District Attorney's Office with resisting arrest, assaulting a peace officer and attempting to remove a weapon (the baton) from the officer.

"I have witnesses who will dispute what the police say," Eric Hauser said. "The cops beat the hell out of my father. Witnesses told me they saw the police beat my father." Eric Hauser was not in the car or with his father when Hugo Hauser was stopped by police.

Eric Hauser picked up his father from the Main Jail when he was released on his own recognizance five hours after the speeding incident.

"His pants and underwear were caked with blood. I have photos," Eric Hauser said.

Eric Hauser has been standing at the corner of Magdalena and Foothill Expressway, from 5-6 p.m., holding a poster asking for witnesses to come forward. On Thursday, he handed out the lime-green fliers at Loyola Corners shopping center, at Foothill Expressway and Loyola Drive.

As of Friday, neither of the Hausers had filed a complaint with the Los Altos Police Department, said Police Chief Lucy Carlton.

"We have a citizen complaint process that investigates facts, allegations, to see if there are any violations, to see if an officer used appropriate methods," Carlton said.

"I have complete faith in the citizens' complaint process. Public trust is important to me. Anyone who sees conduct they deem is inappropriate, tell us what has happened, and we will go through an investigation process. I firmly believe in cleaning my own house. If there is any misconduct, we deal with it."

Police officers within the department investigate any citizen complaints. "And we are harder on ourselves than citizens might be," Carlton said.

"There are no closed doors around here. We are here to serve the public."

Eric Hauser wants to know what happened.

"Even if he was wrong, he was still beaten," Eric Hauser said. "He's my dad. I love him very much and I want to find out the truth."