Student Claims
Police Brutality

Published in The Collegian on February 3, 1992.
By Joseph Kieta, Collegian Staff Writer.

Problems continue for the UT department of safety police division as a graduate student alleges he was a victim of police brutality indicident involving a UT officer.

Seddig Fageir, a UT economics student from Sudan who is now a U.S. citizen, contends he was brutally beaten while being arrested for disorderly conduct at the Driscoll Center for Continuing Education Balch/Clapp Auditorium December 26.

In a Collegian interview, Fageir graphically detailed his version of the indicent, which he said involved unnecesssary kicking and pushing by UT police officer Martin Pryeysz. Fageir was treated for a mild concussion at the Medical College of Ohio after the alleged beating took place.

When contacted late Sunday evening, Prsyeysz said he was not allowed to comment on the issue.

The incident is still under investigation by Joseph Skonecki, UT assistant director of public safety.

The official UT police report of the incident states that Fageir "started to struggle" whild being arrested and that "after several verbal commands to stop resisting, this officer (Prsyeysz) had to take the defendant to the ground with the aid of two other uniformed officers" and that this "effected the arrest."

"I kept asking "What is the charge?" What are you taking me in for? and he said, "you'll find out after I put your black ass behind bars," Fageir said.

Fageir was accompanying a friend, Ahmed Eltag, who had just finished attending an orientation session at the Driscoll Center, when the event took place. When he went to show his friend how the electric projector screen in the auditorium worked, a man who said he was the building manager asked them to leave.

Fageir ignored the warning, and then the man locked them in the room and called the police. In a few minutes, the police arrived.

Fageir said that the police were visible irritated when they entered the room.

"They came in with an aggressive attitude," he said. "they wer loud and angry."

Faageir said that the officers said that the two men "didn't look like they belonged there." In response to this, Fageir gave Prsyeysz his studnet ID. When Fageir failed to give him a driver's license, Prsyesz then began the arrest by handcuffing Fageir's left hand.

Fageir said that, wondering why he was being arrested, he put his uncuffed right arm in the air. It was then that the alleged beating took place.

"He (Prsyeysz) hit me with his knee continually, about seven or eight times," Fageir said. "He then threw me against the seats and I hit my head against the seats."

Such maneuvers are known as minimum-force takedowns.

Fageir said he then fell to the ground, where Prsyeysz kicked him on his shoulder, left leg and upper parts of his right leg with his boot.

"He was hitting me randomly," Fageir said. "one handcuff was on during the entire beating."

When Prsyeysz finished, Fageir stood up under his own power, he said. Prsyeysz then cuffed Fageir's other hand and took him to the Lucas County Jail.

Upset witih his treatment, Fageir wrote a letter to UT President Frank Horton.

In a reply written by Dr. Alice Skeens, assistant to the president, Fageir was told that responsibility for the investigation passed on to Thomas Repp, vice president for administrative affairs.

In a letter dated January 10, Repp asked Fageir to contact Joe Skonecki. Skonecki said he is now conducting an investigation of the situation.

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