David Beckham Sued Over Pap Beat-Down
Posted on Tue Jan 27th, 2009 9:00am PDT By X17 Staff
A photographer who says David Beckham's security team beat him up on a Beverly Hills street has filed a lawsuit against the soccer stud.
X17online first published the story of the attack that occurred on December 7th.
Photographer Emicles Da Mata was following Beckham when Becks got out of his car at a red light and tried to reach into Da Mata's car and grab his camera equipment.
Then Beckham's security guards got involved. One of the security guys snatched the $8000 camera and threw it into a garbage can.
As Da Mata got out of his car to retrieve his equipment, he says he was violently attacked by the security team who threw him to the ground, punching and kicking him repeatedly.
"They put me in a headlock, and held my arms behind my back. Then they threw me to the ground," DaMata told X17online shortly after the alleged attack.
Beverly Hills Police were called to the scene and asked the photographer if he wanted to press charges against the bodyguards. Da Mata declined to file charges at the scene. An X17 photographer nearby offered the officers the video tape from his camera as evidence for their investigation.
To this date, no charges have been filed against the security guards and Beverly Hills Police have refused to comment on the investigation.
Just last week, an X17 reporter spotted the same Beckham security guards chatting with Beverly Hills Police officers at the same 76 Station where the incident occurred. Are the b-guards and the cops buddy-buddy?
Despite numerous requests from the X17 photog who provided the tape, the police have also refused to return the video tape of the incident.
Da Mata's suit alleges assault and battery, negligence, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress and conversion. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
Watch the video of Beverly Hills Police interviewing Beckham's security team.
And check out the video of Emicles Da Mata telling his side of the story.
So, it's been more than a month now since the incident and the detectives on the case still haven't had time to make a copy of our tape with footage of Beckham and his bodyguards and what happened that day - odd, huh? Shouldn't the police release the tape? Or are they feeling pressure not to from their buddies, the bodyguards?
X17online first published the story of the attack that occurred on December 7th.
Photographer Emicles Da Mata was following Beckham when Becks got out of his car at a red light and tried to reach into Da Mata's car and grab his camera equipment.
Then Beckham's security guards got involved. One of the security guys snatched the $8000 camera and threw it into a garbage can.
As Da Mata got out of his car to retrieve his equipment, he says he was violently attacked by the security team who threw him to the ground, punching and kicking him repeatedly.
"They put me in a headlock, and held my arms behind my back. Then they threw me to the ground," DaMata told X17online shortly after the alleged attack.
Beverly Hills Police were called to the scene and asked the photographer if he wanted to press charges against the bodyguards. Da Mata declined to file charges at the scene. An X17 photographer nearby offered the officers the video tape from his camera as evidence for their investigation.
To this date, no charges have been filed against the security guards and Beverly Hills Police have refused to comment on the investigation.
Just last week, an X17 reporter spotted the same Beckham security guards chatting with Beverly Hills Police officers at the same 76 Station where the incident occurred. Are the b-guards and the cops buddy-buddy?
Despite numerous requests from the X17 photog who provided the tape, the police have also refused to return the video tape of the incident.
Da Mata's suit alleges assault and battery, negligence, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress and conversion. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
Watch the video of Beverly Hills Police interviewing Beckham's security team.
And check out the video of Emicles Da Mata telling his side of the story.