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Video shows deputy wounding Iraq war vetFBI investigates shooting for possible civil rights violations
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A videotape shows a sheriff's deputy shooting an unarmed Iraq war veteran who appears to be following orders to get up off the ground, and now the FBI is investigating for possible civil rights violations. Elio Carrion, an Air Force policeman who spent six months deployed in Iraq, was to have rejoined his unit Tuesday. Instead, he was hospitalized in good condition. The incident began Sunday night, officials said, when Carrion was a passenger in a blue Corvette that was speeding about 100 mph near the Chino Hills, California, area, east of Los Angeles. The driver, whom authorities didn't identify, failed to pull the car over after police signaled to do so, leading to a five-minute chase that ended abruptly when the vehicle crashed into a brick wall, said Cindy Beavers, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. What happened next was captured on video shot by amateur photographer Jose Luis Valdez, who told The Associated Press that he recorded the incident after the car crashed in front of his home. KTLA-TV aired the videotape early Tuesday, then distributed it later in the day. In the tape, an unarmed Carrion appears to be on the ground as a deputy sheriff stands above him with his gun drawn. "Get up!" the deputy shouts. "OK," Carrion says. "Get up!" the deputy shouts again. "I'm going to get up," Carrion says, and he begins to rise. The deputy fires three shots, reportedly striking Carrion in the chest, leg and shoulder. Moaning while on the ground, Carrion attempts to explain to the deputy he's an Iraq war veteran. "I mean you no harm," he says. "Shut the [expletive] up!" the deputy shouts. "Shut the [expletive] up!" The deputy shouts that he has "one down," then again tells Carrion to "shut the [expletive] up." "You don't get up!" the deputy says. Then the tape contains the voice of a neighbor who appears to have watched the incident. "You told him to get up!" the voice says. Beavers, the sheriff's spokesman, declined to release the name of the deputy involved in the shooting but said he was put on leave. She said Sheriff Gary Penrod had invited the FBI to join the investigation. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller and U.S. attorney's office spokesman Thom Mrozek confirmed the the agency's involvement on behalf of the Justice Department. They said the FBI would look into possible civil rights violations. Media reports prompted the probe, Mrozek said. Beavers said the sheriff's department would review the video forensically "to clear up any questions about dialogue." "We think it is unfair to make any sort of judgment against any of the parties involved," she said. The driver of the car, she said, was arrested on charges of felony evading. CNN's Chris Lawrence contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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