Now, the historic city that's home to five colleges and a vibrant nightlife is the target of international outrage after a mentally ill homeless man died following a violent fight with six police officers that was captured on camera.
In the video, 37-year-old Kelly Thomas, who suffered from schizophrenia, can be heard crying out for his father over the zapping sound of a stun gun.
The incident last month has ensnared Fullerton in an ever-widening array of state and federal investigations, resignations and rowdy protests — and things promise to get worse for the city before they get better. The acting police chief last week ordered an internal investigation into an unrelated, but volatile confrontation last year after reviewing cell phone footage that appears to contradict sworn testimony given by police officers in court.
The two incidents have put Fullerton, an unassuming Orange County city best known as the home of a prominent California State University campus, on the map from Germany to Korea — and unhappy residents and business owners are hunkering down. The city, founded in 1887 in the midst of citrus groves, prides itself on its roster of refurbished turn-of-the-century brick buildings, a bustling summer farmer's market and a hopping nightlife in the redeveloped downtown with a jazz scene that has been known to attract the likes of actor Joe Pesci.
Most families who move to the city put down permanent roots and enjoy the small-town feel in a county better known for its sprawling suburban developments and web of freeways.
"It's a very friendly place, it's kind of low-key and because this has happened now that's all that anybody knows about us," said Michael Ritto, president of the Fullerton Downtown Business Association. "People are all upset, people are marching. I go to work and every day, all day, there's TV cameras and crews everywhere."
Another bystander picked up Mam's phone and captured Mam's arrest — footage that proves he never attacked an officer, said Borsari.
The cell phone video was used as evidence by both the prosecution and defense during trial and Mam was acquitted on all counts.
"Once they know that they've been caught, they fall back on, 'It's a mistake,'" Borsari said. "I believe it was a calculated attempt to file a false report to mislead a jury."
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