Brian Hitchcock was headed home from his job as a technical writer for Skechers in Manhattan Beach last June when he pulled up at a red light next to Hermosa Beach motorcycle officer Anthony Parente. Parente was driving to headquarters after a 12-hour shift on his police motorcycle.
The light turned green and both their lives changed forever.
As they took off, Parente moved in tight behind Hitchcock's BMW 323 and activated his siren. Hitchcock hit his brakes, and Parente rear-ended Hitchcock's car, which sent Parente somersaulting through the air. He landed upside-down, his boots sticking in the air, in the backseat of Hitchcock's top-down convertible.
"The siren spooked me. I instinctively hit the brakes to see where it was coming from," Hitchcock, the 59-year-old Harbor City man, tells L.A. Weekly. "Next thing I know, the siren is blaring and the officer is in my backseat. I couldn't hear, and I couldn't think."
Hitchcock got out of his car, which was stopped in the middle lane on Artesia Boulevard — the lane that engineers refer to as the No. 2 lane — just past the intersection of Artesia and Ford in Redondo Beach. He asked Parente: "Do you need some help?"
Parente said he needed his radio.
When he heard Parente's call of "Officer down!" go out at 6 p.m. on June 8, Hitchcock realized the officer was well enough to call in — but he started to worry about his own fate.
"I realized this could be twisted around to look like I was at fault," he recalls.
Indeed, the police immediately investigated the collision as a criminal act by Hitchcock: assault with a deadly weapon.
A press release issued by the Redondo Beach Police Department framed the incident as the fault of a driver who appeared to stop short in order to injure a police officer — a far more sensational angle than a cop rear-ending a car because he turned on his siren while tailgating.
Parente was, by his own written admission, only two to three feet behind Hitchcock when he activated his siren, far closer than law enforcement training guidelines.
When someone anonymously e-mailed police and the Torrance-based Daily Breeze a cell phone photo showing Parente's boots and legs sticking out of the BMW's backseat like an outtake from Weekend at Bernie's, the WTF picture went viral — and mild-mannered Hitchcock was depicted as an anti-police vigilante.
"If somebody uses a vehicle to intentionally put somebody in a position where they could receive great bodily injury, that is assault with a deadly weapon," Redondo Beach Police Department Lt. Joe Hoffman told the Breeze.
Retired L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. Lt. Roger Clark, an expert witness in hundreds of cases, who has no ties to Hitchcock or Parente, says police are trained in vehicle pull-overs to understand "that when the driver suddenly becomes aware of the siren, they sometimes stop in the middle of the road as an instinctive reaction. When you tailgate a driver, that's an obvious problem."
Police reports and witness statements show that a monthlong investigation by Redondo Beach Police into Hitchcock's background found no evidence of anti-police bias.
After that, Redondo Beach Detective Mike Strosnider invited Hitchcock to a let's-be-friends lunch at Subway on the pretext that the investigation was over. It wasn't. Strosnider secretly recorded the lunch in hopes of capturing incriminating comments, but came up empty, according to his own report.
Undeterred, Strosnider asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley's office to pursue a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Cooley declined. "We found insufficient evidence that Mr. Hitchcock intentionally stopped short," Jane Robison of the DA's office tells the Weekly.
So Strosnider asked Redondo city prosecutor Brenda Wells to pursue a misdemeanor criminal assault charge against the baffled and outraged Hitchcock. Wells agreed.
On Nov. 9, Hitchcock was charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of reckless driving and one count of reckless driving with injuries resulting. If convicted on all three, the writer, who is recently widowed, faces three years in jail.
Hitchcock, who has Type 2 diabetes, says the relentless quest by beach-city police to criminalize an accident has caused him personal, professional and financial havoc.
"Of course this wasn't deliberate," he says. "Why would anyone bring this kind of grief on themselves?"
His lawyer, Thomas Beck, claims that city prosecutor Wells "is knowingly carrying water for the Hermosa Police Department."
Wells says only, "I'm confident I have sufficient evidence to win a conviction."
Hitchcock responds, "I will not take any plea bargain. This was an everyday traffic accident. He was too close when he put the siren on, and I put the brakes on too quickly."
The aftermath of the accident was something of a Keystone Kops affair. Hitchcock was swarmed by more than a dozen police officers from three departments and interviewed for two and a half hours.
Hitchcock says he was accused of deliberately causing the crash, "standing over [Parente] in an intimidating manner" and "sarcastically" asking the officer if he needed help.
Parente, 6'1" and armed with his duty pistol, claimed to be so afraid of Hitchcock — a gray-haired, fairly out-of-shape man in a Hawaiian shirt — that Parente feared Hitchcock would snatch the shotgun from his fallen motorcycle.
This collision is the result of the misunderstanding. We can't say that they did with some attentions. Officer is lucky that he wear safe motorcycle accessories like gloves, Helmet and all that. Its necessary to wear Gloves for safe motorcycle riding " http://www.motogloves.com/category/motorcycle-gloves/gloves-material/leather-motorcycle-gloves/
I like to just stick with the idea that if I wasnt there I cant comment This story is interesting I wonder whatever happend to these folks
Cant stand crooked cops they give the good ones a bad name and there are good ones out theres so i dont want to say i dont like all of thempoor old guy hope it works out
I know this cop and his step son is Brandon. This brat did a felony vandalism on my car he was caught and went to jail. Hes about to be convicted and go to juvenile hall. When he does im having a party becaus hes got it comin to him. Like father like son. someone is always keeping an eye on you sitting in a corner watching you at Starbucks. Lmao DBD
Hitchcock was facing charges on January 17th. ALL CHARGES ARE DISMISSED.. Anthony Parentes shady background was revealed to the City Prosecutor which she did not want to have to answer to in open court. She knew he would look like the liar he is. Hitchcock will be in court for a civil lawsuit soon. Hitchcock INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES. Parente rear ended another motorist in 2008 and lied about it in a police report. He should of never been a cop..
His background shocked her where she dismissed the case against Hitchcock. She threw in the towel due to the ex officers background..
Another day another lawsuit against a corrupt Hermosa Beach Cop. Parente, Sellan, and the list goes on! Where is the FBI or DA's Office Justice & Integrity Division investigations???
A few years back I was leaving the Redondo / Hermosa beach area on Anita / 190th St eastbound. As I passed Prospect, I went down and up the saddle there and passed a RB motorcycle cop hitting everyone with radar. When I got to the intersection at Flagler, I was about the 3 or 4th cars from the stop sign at the very busy intersection. Suddenly behind me the motorcycle cop could be heard with his siren blaring. An older woman was in the middle of this blind intersection unable to see where the siren was coming from and she understandably froze. The motorcycle cop wizzed past me at 40++++ MPH and hit the front left fender of her car. (I could see the fender from my vantage point so it wasn't like she was hidden.) His motorcycle careened off the front of the car to the opposite side of the road and the officer went flying about 30 feet landing on his back. Many of us rushed to his aid, me dialing 911 and getting to him right before he attempted to get up. The paramedics showed up quickly, as it turned out they were only at the bottom of the next hill... the location the wreckless cop was speeding to. Turns out, instead of offering assistance, he became the victim. The poor woman was terrorized. I stayed to give a report to the CHP about how the officer hit her while she was stationary in a blind intersection that had a four way stop for a reason that seemed to escape the officer who only moments before was "ensuring" traffic safety. I had no sympathy for this menace to society of an officer. I assured the woman it was not her fault. She was still in tears and shaking when I left 30 minutes after the incident. RB motorcycle cop COINCIDENCE? ... I think not.
I am a medical marijuana patient and am being terrorized by Redondo Beach police. I'm looking for other people that are going through the same thing. I was pulled over in Hawthorne last week by 2 RBPD cars. They lied about why they pulled me over. They searched my car and asked me all kinds of personal questions. I had a sexy Halloween costume in my car. The one cop tried it on and pranced around the parking lot. After he wrote me up a warning ticket, he started to sexually harass me. I called internal affairs the next week to complain about him and he had retired. This cop was doing this to terrorize me for his buddy cop that I have an official personnel complaint against. I'm also suing the city for allowing the cops to spend their time terrorizing medical marijuana patients. DON'T THEY HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO? If they don't then we need to cut the 43% of our city's budget that they take!
Poor guy, it cause intamacy problems. Because she thinks your a loser after seeing that picture.
Yep, this is one dumb ass cop. If you or I were following anyone that closely and rear ended them we would be out of a drivers license for a year getting rid of a reckless driving citation. But since he is a COP (how could a person with as much firepower as COPs carry be afraid of an unarmed snow bird? REALLY???!!!) he fingers he can get away with whatever he wants. Jackass. Be advised you prick cop, you will get what you deserve eventually. What comes around goes around.
I'm not into the whole airing of personal laundry going on, but simply put...If an LA Unified School Police Officer can shot himself with his own gun, initiate a dragnet, and admit to lying about the entire thing...then it doesn't seem to far fetched that an officer, who has many previous "work related injuries" could, at fault, run into the back of a car and make it seem as though the driver of the vehicle is at fault. Just claim it was an intentional assault and medically retire. Please don't allow another officer like this one to taint the public view of hard working officers everywhere. Mr./Ms. DA, PLEASE help perserve what little integrity the public has in use!
the justice system works and guess whos next?? everyone involved in the cover up are going to jail tooooo stand by to stand by KARMA is knocking at the door!!!! all eyes on UUUUUU
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Marya Parente you should talk about hate. You are a vindictive COW. Our marriage is a joke. The only reason i am with you is for the money. When you sent me to San Francisco last year and gave me money don't for the lap top i was like wow a stupid cow. You verbally abuse our son daily. The keep tabs on me daily. The only reason i cheat on you is because you are GRoss. Buy me something that helps a lot. What you have done to my sons by tearing us apart is pure jealousy. I hate you but can't leave you because everything is in your name. You made me go so a school take a minor child out of class and verbally terrorize her. When that little girl sat there crying i knew you were a bitch. You did not even care and laughed all the way home. I sat there thinking this bitch is one sick bipolar cow. Now IA is investigating us because of you. We will lose our jobs because of you. Then i will leave and be free from your ball and chain
Hatred is a poison that fills your body. It becomes impossible to think of anything else but the object of your hatred. Sometimes if you don't encounter the object of your hatred for a length of time, the hatred may dissipate throughout your body. The truth is that is has spread like a cancer. you nutjob you are an ugly old fat cancer and the grossest thing anyone has ever laid their eyes on. hit the gym and find a really great plastic surgeon!!!
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Marya you are a vindictive sick BITCH. You hate so much it is sad. You should hate the herpes that your husband has. Wonder why he cheats on you. Because you are a BITCH.. GEt a FUKING LIFE LOSER. TERRORIZING CHILDREN AGAIN...
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Marya and Anthony went to a school took a little girl from her class on February 18th to terrorize her. That is why they are not on here. Savelli and Brenda Wells along with IA. These two are very dangerous and vindictive. What they will and DO to children makes them two sick individuals. To actually go against his son what SPERM DONER would do that to his own kid. SSSSSSSHUUUUUUUTTTTTTT UP LOSER PARENTE you look pathetic. Can't wait till Brian is found innocent...SICK FUKING LOSER..HERPES ARE ACTIVE...HEY BIPOLAR BUY HIM SOMETHING TO KEEP HIM..TAKE THE TRASH..
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Has anyone noticed since February 18th Friday that Parente and his wife Marya have not been on here posting angry threatening messages. Did their departments put a stop to their abuse of power finally.
I wish I could be on the jury for this trial. I would find the defendant not guilty and the officer guilty, even though he hasn't been charged, which he should have been. Can't wait to see the civil suit taken against the city after the criminal charges are over.
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Don't worry, Mr. Hitchcock. The police are doing you a favor because they have just dropped a winning harrassment and wrongful prosecution suit into your lap. -- Truly
The picture will haunt the lazy ex cop forever. He should also be investigated for napping on the job. Boots up the call should of been ex cop waiting for his buddies napping in the soft back seat of the BMW. This is a joke. All evidence shows the cop is at fault. With all these things written about him he sounds like a loser one that deserves jail. Hitchcock you don't need luck it is obvious you are innocent.
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Parente you have some serious issues. You need to be in a 5150 evaluation. How dare you!
Not surprising... I used to live in the south bay and I had Lomita Sherrifs and Redondo Beach Police, on separate occasions, pull out guns and point them at me. Once because I was apparently "driving erratically" when I pulled over to let a hostile driver that was tailgating me go by, and another time when my registration was expired. On multiple other occasions I was harassed by the police without explanation and never being cited for anything.In all my years in the south bay I have heard lots of horror stories of run-ins with cops down there from friends and family. The cops in that area have a terrible reputation and for good reason.
After I moved into Echo Park and also downtown Los Angeles, the only time I ever had an incident with the police was for an illegal left turn. I learned that not all police officers were mean spirited because the cops in LA seem to be really nice, one time offering to help move a car that was out of gas.
So yeah, if you don't live there, stay out of the south bay, that kind of attitude is infectious there. I hope this police creep goes to jail for this waste of our tax dollars.
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Sounds like someone in Hermosa Beach dropped the ball on this one. Thought officers went through background checks. Who let this one in the department? Why is he a cop? Why is he hurting someone in the public when he was there to serve and protect? Hermosa needs to be sued for allowing Parente to be a cop. Amazing the things i am reading about him. This is a sad excuse for a human. Sounds like a bad dad putting his minor child right in the middle of this. Chief do something about this soon,...Hermosa Public is watching..
One cop ruins it for all the rest of the good ones. Ego maniac doesnt want to admit he screwed up on his bike. Typical cop attitude, its never their fault no matter what actaully happened. GED and a DL is all you need to be a cop. Thats a fact. Not the best and the brightest. Hope the truth comes out.
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ppl posting the trial was the other day why hasnt l.a weekly or someone who waz there post what happned? did the jury say not guilty or what? I read this cop works at in n out which one what happned?
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Lead by example. Hermosa is being led by a greedy criminal. What is the Chief doing? Parente needs to be investigated. Just returned from a workers comp case a month prior. Now this protect and serve criminal. Someone needs to get off their butt and check this ex cop out. He is a liability to the City of Hermosa Beach..
I don't know what "system" there is in Ca. that investigate cases like this one ---cop investigating same depaartment cop ~ what a laugh = THEY need a outsideAGENCY > CHiP
Soft tissue damage yet he can't go back to work..What is wrong with the Chief that he allows this? Someone said he was on workers comp prior to him running into poor Hithcock. He is milking the system just like a criminal. He needs to be investigated. GET back to work if you have a job after this. Take away him badge, gun for sure, and id. This cops has filed his last false police report.
You hit someone from behind no matter who you are YOU are GUILTY. Now that you have lied you will have to pay the consequences. Too late to turn back it will play out in the public eye. Then your Dept will be forced to do something about your criminal acts. Guilty officer. Innocent Brian Hitchcock.
Hitchcock plead not Guilty with his Attorney Beck in court today. The buzz around the court house was about the officer. There was several people there to make sure people knew about Parente and had copies of police reports, restraining orders, emails, including these posts on this website. The word around the court house was the officer is guilty and shook their heads. A few officers were there and said these kind of guys give us a bad name. Parente has been posting numerous slanderous comments on the Daily Breeze and LA weekly website. A gentleman said it was his wife. Also a officer apparently on a workers comp case the same day. She is the one with all the slanderous comments. Insecure wife!
Hitchcok in court today Dept 5 pleading not Guilty. Parente needs to get a really good attorney. Parente you rear ended Hitchcock then made up a story about being in fear. according to previous comments you do that a lot. You have a gun MORON. You took the opportunity to make a simple accident into a felony. Who does that? Especially when you are a officer to protect the community not destroy someone's life. You will not get away with this. Hitchcock stay strong this moron will see how the system works. Reading all the posts about him everyone can see what a Loser he is.
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oh great the trials today!!! cant wait to see what happens that asshole needs to go down keep us posted mr. situation sad sounds like you got a front row seat!!!!
It does not take a rocket scientist to see the officer is at fault. He is a making a great City look very very bad. His mother must be soooo proud of this idiot. To me it looked staged to land in a backseat of the BMW. Call for help! Are you kidding get your ass up get back to work and stop this nonsense. This is ridiculous! Now he is still off on disability for soft tissue damage. Someone needs to get this crocked cop back to work then fire him..GOOD LUCK BRIAN HITCHCOCK!!!!
The idiot landed in the SOFT backseat of the BMW. He had a some soft tissue damage. He did not have a broken leg,arm,head injury, or internal injuries. He could of got his fat ass up and ran away. Nothing would of stopped me from running. Instead he sat their plotting a good enough story to cover his ass. He waited in the SOFT back seat to be the VICTIM of NOTHING. He is a the criminal. Poor Hitchcock! This could of been one of our fathers or grandfathers. Parente needs to be taught a lesson. He is needs to be on trial for writing a false police reports. Pay back the city for all the stolen money.
HIS COURT DATE IS THIS THRUSDAY FEBRUARY 24 in TORRANCE California.
PREDICTION HITCHCOCK INNOCENT. PARENTE GUILTY! PLEADE INSANITY. Nut BAG...
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For Sale BMW you made one mistake. That would be a ex cop. He is also selling something his boots for attorney fees. He is now working at the local In Out Burger. Make I take you order please. Parente get back to scrubbing those floors stop talking to the customers especially the pretty one's, Yes Marya..
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That is sooo nasty no wonder why his sex life sucks! Those are forever. YUCKO I agree..
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FOR SALE 1993 BMW 323 CONVERTIBLELOW MILAGE- GOOD MECHANICAL CONDITIONSLIGHT REAR BUMPER DAMAGE
COP IN BACKSET - OPTIONAL
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IT is obvious Marya and Tony PARENTE are two sick individuals. Maybe they should worry more about themselves then others. STAND BY TO STAND BY.. WHO DOES THAT? EXTREMELY HELPFUL.... THANK YOU!
Ring Ring KARMA isnot calling it is the FBI pick up the phone psycho... 310 371-7981...ROFLMAO.. PSYCHO!!! Take your med's BIPOLAR..
what a great day today KARMA has finally made it the end of the line is here. Baseball season is starting and only the best are playing ! we have a great team and they are so talented and deserve to play. BB is a priveledge people only well good behavor and good grades get you in. Come on lets go all the way to CIF then college Scholarships. YIPPY !!!! the wheels on the bus go round and round.
Brenda Wells is a bitch who needs to get her ass fired. Check out how she covered for a DUI hit and run cop, too.http://jonathanturley.org/2010...
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