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Kelly Thomas Beating Video: California homeless man's fatal beating by police shown in court

Graphic video of officers beating homeless man shown in Calif. court
Image from video of Fullerton, Calif. police officers beating a homeless man, July 5, 2011. CBS/KCAL

(CBS) SANTA ANA, Calif. - People in court Monday gasped, screamed and cried as prosecutors showed video of two police officers beating a mentally ill homeless man who later died from his injuries.

PICTURES: Family wants answers in death of man beaten by cops

"Dad - they're killing me!" yelled Kelly Thomas, on the night of July 5, 2011.

The video was shown in court during a hearing to determine whether Fullerton police officers Manuel Ramos and Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli should stand trial in the death of the 37-year-old Thomas, reports CBS Los Angeles.

Ramos was responding to a call of a car break-in and found Thomas walking near the scene of the crime. He began questioning the homeless man and called for back-up.

"Put your hands on your (expletive) knees...put your feet out in front of you," Ramos could be seen telling Thomas in the video.

"Well, which one is it, dude?" Thomas said.

"Both," Ramos responded.

"I can't do both," Thomas retorted.

"Well, you're gonna have to learn real quick," Ramos told him.

According to audio captured on an officer's tape recorder, the situation quickly escalated.

Ramos and Officer Joseph Wolfe questioned Thomas about someone else's mail in his backpack.

After a few orders, Ramos told Thomas with an expletive how he's going to use his fists on him. The two exchange expletives, Thomas gets up and the batons come out.

"Get on the ground," an officer yelled.

The courtroom audience gasped at what they saw next - officers began swinging their batons at Thomas and piling on top of him.

Thomas could be heard apologizing to officers - "OK, I'm sorry."

After repeatedly ordering Thomas to put his hands behind his back another officer knees Thomas.

"OK man, I can't breathe," Thomas said.

Minutes later, Cicinelli ordered Thomas to stop resisting. Then he used his Taser on Thomas several times.

Thomas could be heard screaming and begging the officers to stop.

As the officers continue to struggle with Thomas the man screams out for his father, crying for help.

Thomas' father, Ron, was in the courtroom Monday. This was not the first time he's seen this video and he sat calmly through the showing.

As four officers subdued Thomas, one struck the schizophrenic man repeatedly.

After the struggle, Cicinelli can be heard telling another officer he believed Thomas was on something.

"We ran out of options so I got the end of my Taser and I probably...I just started smashing his face to hell," Cicinelli said.

CBS Los Angeles spoke to Steve Meister, a criminal defense attorney and former L.A. County prosecutor, and Timothy Williams Jr, a police procedures expert and former LAPD detective, about the video and how it will impact the case.

"Look how many officers it took for him to stay still - five," Meister remarked while watching the video. "An unmedicated schizo who was obviously capable to fight 5 officers who are trained to take down... That presents a danger."

"In my opinion, all of this was excessive force," Williams said. "I've been in altercations and I know it doesn't take all that to control someone who was unarmed."

"Even though charges are about how this ended, the case is about how it started," Meister said.

He added that, if there is a trial, the video will be presented in two different ways: first, showing officers in a dangerous situation, and, on the flipside, officers over-reacting.

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