A Hollywood father said he would not have called 911 if he knew responding police would beat his naked adult son, and now the dad is testifying against one of the officers.
Matthew Joseph Barbieri, 37, is charged with misdemeanor battery for slapping and choking the handcuffed suspect in the bathroom of his own home in August 2019, according to court records.
Barbieri's trial started Friday.
A home surveillance camera recorded the incident on video and Barbieri is heard telling another officer, “I’m gonna have to say that he was kicking.”
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Raymond Schachner Sr. had called police to report his son Raymond Schachner Jr. had taken heroin and was acting erratically.
"I called 911 because he was getting out of hand," Schachner Sr. testified. "That night it got to the point where I couldn’t reason with him any more."
Police entered the bathroom to search for drugs and the naked son protested.
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"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Nobody gave you permission to search the house,” Schachner Jr. is heard on video. “There's no warrant, no nothing. There's no permission."
That’s when Barbieri is heard on video telling him to “shut up” before hitting Schachner Jr. on the side of his head and asking, “How about now? How about now? Do I have permission now?" the incident report stated.
At the time, Hollywood Police Chief Chris O'Brien issued a statement that read in part: “I was extremely disappointed, and immediately relieved the officer of all departmental duties.”
If convicted, Barbieri faces up to a year in jail.
