22 Year Old With Down Syndrome Beaten By The Police For "Bulge In Pants" That Was Only A Colostomy Bag!
"A man with special needs is speaking out after he
was left badly bruised by police.
Twenty-two-year-old Gilberto Powell, who has Down
Syndrome, is left with horrible bruises and scars
on his face after he had an encounter with police
outside his home. "That's my son. That's my baby.
I really love this little boy. He's my love," said
Powell's mother, Josephine.
According to the family, they were inside their
Southwest Miami-Dade home last Saturday when
Powell, who is also called Liko, called his
parents on his cell phone to let them know he was
walking a block from his friend's house. On his
way home, Liko said, "The police followed me."
Liko said, the officer smacked him in the face
with an open hand and knocked him to the ground.
"His whole hand," he said.
According to the police report, a Miami-Dade
Police officer noticed a bulge in Liko's
waistband. The officer attempted to conduct a pat
down, and Powell tried to run away. "I said,
'Didn't you know he was a Down Syndrome kid?' And
he said, 'No, I'm not a doctor. I don't know.' And
I said, 'Well, you can see it in his face that he
is a Down Syndrome kid,'" said Josephine" - 7 News