VIDEO

The traffic stop as it happened

On Feb. 2, 2006, a Deptford Township police officer stopped Joseph A. Rao, 19, after the officer said the driver failed to stop at a stop sign. The video camera on the officer’s dashboard recorded the stop, the handcuffing of Rao, and the arrival of two backup officers. The video is the focus of a police brutality case expected to open in state Superior Court in Gloucester County this week.

A videocamera on the dashboard of the second police car shows what happened after the officers placed Rao in the back seat of the first car. The videos were provided by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s office.

Rao has filed a “notice of claim” against two of the officers and the police department. In the notice, Rao is seeking damages in excess of $1 million, and alleges that he suffered “severe physical, emotional and psychological damage, injury and loss” from what he called the excessive force used by the two officers.

Warning: This video contains profanity.

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