I understand your point, but I disagree.
True, they CHARGED him with failure to disperse, along with public intoxication, battery on police, and resisting arrest, and we can see clearly that most of their accusations (delineated in the link) were lies. Also, they didn't arrest the woman standing with him or any of the other bystanders (except the one 'friend' that touched a cop), which to me indicated that was not an issue for them at any time. Also, he was in a small alcove off the sidewalk, not in anyone's way or interfering, unlike several bystanders. The closest officer comes over to him, walking around numerous others to get there, only when the cell phone is noticed. It looked to me like he was going for the phone himself, then went 'tough guy' when he complained about the theft by officer 2.
That's why it seems clear to me they arrested him for filming them and made up other charges later, it's almost certainly the reason they stole his phone. Maybe I'm wrong, but it is my take.
And @speechless is right, I couldn't fit all that in the title. ;-)

That's absolutely not what's been reported. The reports have repeatedly said his hyoid was severely injured and he asphyxiated.
Also, we can not take the word of the public coroner when it comes to officer involved death. Like the DA, they work with the cops daily, and bend over backwards to 'help' them repeatedly. Independent prosecutors and coroners are needed on EVERY officer involved death, without them we'll see you all as members of a deadly, powerful gang of thugs.
Cops should have TALKED to him instead of deciding 'he's not complying fast enough, get him fellas' and dog piling on him, starting from behind with a hold specifically disallowed by the department. (I'm glad you didn't try to say he wasn't choked, because that would just be ridiculous). That's really overboard for someone selling loosies, and was really, obviously about contempt of cop.

It might be a good idea for them to not laugh and joke about it while the body is still lying on the sidewalk and the family is filming them too, btw. (I've seen the extended video)

Perhaps he should have cooperated, but in no way would that ensure he'd be alive. The 77 year old man cooperated fully, (when a cop just nastily grabs at your papers for no reason and without saying a thing, pulling away is expected and acceptable) and was beaten and tasered for his trouble. Cooperation simply means the cops won't be hurt, not the citizen. Many many people are injured and killed cooperating with police and in full custody yearly. You somehow put the blame 100% on them and 0% on the police that have them under their control and have the duty to protect them. The rest of us have lost all trust in cops lately, and we feel if you have a duty you should perform it.

EDIT: How did 'cooperating' work out for this guy?
http://videosift.com/video/South-Carolina-cop-shoots-man-for-getting-license

Intro (Sage Francis):
Right about now, the SFR court is in full effect!
Judge Sage presiding in the case of the People vs. The Police Department.
Prosecuting attorneys are: Toki Wright, Jasiri X and B motherfuckin’ Dolan.
Order! Order! Order! B. Dolan, take the motherfuckin’ stand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
(Dolan: You goddamn right.)
Then why don’t you tell everyone what the fuck they have the right to do?

Verse 1 
(B. Dolan):
Film the Police. Run a tape for the underclass!
Get the face, name and number on the badge.
They flash, we flash back when they act disorderly.
React accordingly and capture all that we see…
Nightstick, Zip-ties, and Tasers.
Think they’re licensed for type vicious behavior.
Make a tight fist with a video trained toward the Pigs,
Like this. They trip & you make ‘em famous.
Explain to a Judge the bounds you oversteppin’.
2011 time to the change our method.
We aim lenses at the State’s weapon,
‘Til they remember whose goddamn streets they’re protecting.
They’d rather see me in a cell
Than me and my cell with a different story to tell.
Camcorder by the dash. Next time you get stopped,
Reach for the celly if you wanna shoot a cop.
On a public sidewalk, you can tape what you see,
Or film from your window with a view of the street!
Neighborhood Crime Watch, we police the Police.
They can’t arrest the whole community.
Because the streets clock. These cops occupying blocks,
Harassing the homeless with batons, pulling glocks.
They stop lawful protests and let off shots…
Abuse prostitutes and misuse power they got.
In memory of the victims who are never forgot,
We’ve gotta’ exercise our right to shed light in the dark.
There is an army on the march that doesn’t want you to watch.
You’ve got a weapon in your pocket whether you know it or not.
We, the people, are the only real media we got.
Let’s protect one another from the fucking goon squad.
Fascism’s coming to the U.S.A.
Eyo, Sage, I got something to say!
Verse 2 (Toki Wright):
Film the police! It’s time to make it our priority.
You see these fools are in abuse of their authority.
Crack a fist or you crack a whip.
But that ain’t power you coward, you beat a man with two shackled wrists.
So put their names up on a list next to an asterisk.
Next time you see ‘em blast a clip, then you flash a flick.
Attach a video and pic to your master list.
Be on the news at 6. YouTube views legit.
The cops watch us, so we gotta have the Cop Watchers.
Been in fear of law so long, so now it’s not awkward.
But what is law when it’s wrong. When you slam us on the floor.
Naw, this ain’t World Wrestling Entertainment Raw.
This is Edutainment, y’all. Got a call from B. Dolan.
You try to squabble with Johnny Law and get your meat swollen.
Why you think Bobby and Huey P. were heat holding?
You better load the footage up and get to key stroking.
And while you at it, send one off to the administration,
It’s indicating, all the physical intimidation.
It’s been too long they said to “bear with us.”
That’s when I run up on your caravan and rip off all your D.A.R.E. stickers.
This here is near Hitler’s; weirder than some mere tickets…
You feel privileged ’til your wife get her brassiere lifted.
You disappear quick as Hoffa if you piss a copper,
Off ya’ til you get a Channel 7 News helicopter.
Violence hides in a code of silence, tyrants hide in an alliance,
Quiet or be left somewhere, or get swept inside it.
It’s Goliath vs. a bigger giant.
Got us pulling over so far we ran a curb and hit a hydrant.
It’s systematic how the system has its symptoms,
Of the democratic law that’s been flawed since the pilgrims landed.
So now tell me what you wanna do? Next time you see the boys in blue,
You cock your camera back and point and shoot.

Verse 3 (Jasiri X):
Film the police! I got the Cannon 7D.
Highest definition for when they try to arrest and lynch ‘em,
Then lie and protest the whippin’, not serve and protect the victims.
Their murders, threats and hitmen…observe ‘em and let the witness be
The iphone. Never let bygones be bygones.
Get your flip cam before they get in the whip and ride on.
It’s vital ’cause our survival could depend on a video going viral,
With more viewers than American Idol.
Instead of having to bury a child who…
The cops shot ’cause they thought they carried a rifle.
Then the same cops will go to court and swear on a bible,
And smile to show the teeth that they’re preparing to lie through.
Whether Crips or Piru ,Vice Lords or Gangsta Disciples,
Make sure your camera lens gets an eyeful.
And they liable to try and confiscate it.
Better hold on to that shit like you’re constipated.
‘Cause they’ll pretend them injuries are not related,
Like, “When we arrived we saw him dive head first off the pavement.”
So keep the mini cam stashed in the dash of your mini van.
They’ll crash and smash on any man.
Pull out your Blackberry ’cause cops will take a shot at your black berry,
‘Til we see another black buried.
Don’t act scary, ’cause they’ll empty the gat on ya’,
Stand over your body just to sprinkle the crack on ya’.
Police attacking ya’. Don’t want to see they reflections like Dracula.
But camera’s capture ya’.
Too busy using your flashlight to batter us,
To notice John Singleton was my passenger.
So point, click and shoot they asses,
It’s the only way to get the real truth to the masses.
Jasiri X, I’m making movies like Spike Lee.
I won’t be a law and order special victim like Ice T.

It's not punishment. It's fucking arrogance. He took it upon himself to 'teach' a lesson to the first driver without regard to anyone else. How is that any better than the driver who decided that his need to be in a hurry and block the intersection was more important?

Assuming of course that is what happened, perhaps the driver misjudged the light and got stuck rather than run the light? We don't know what led to the car being in the intersection, only that some random prick decided to take it solely upon himself to stand in front of the car as a supposed lesson. I don't know about you, but in the 21st century, I think that we should have advanced past petty vigilantism. Which is all this is, one person taking it upon themselves to be the sole decider of wrongdoing and punishment. Does that sound like something we as a society wants to promote? Because if it is, then it would have been just as fair for the driver of one of those cars to grab a hold of that jackass and toss him back onto the sidewalk in a bloody heap.

The ass was begging to be hit or cause someone else to be hit by the cars going past the one he was blocking. He isn't some sort of hero who 'took a stand' against evil and wrongdoing, he is just a self-righteous dick.

It's really hard to say about long lasting damage, it was only one of over a dozen concussions he had before he turned 18.
No, no one was caught. When he woke on the sidewalk, they were gone.

Wow, that's an odd targeting of your friend.
Did he marry an Asian woman BECUASE he's ginger? Southpark taught us that that's the best way to ensure your children aren't ginger. ;-)

how can some of you NOT see the obvious?
you think this is about law and permits?
fucking seriously???

this is a politically targeted strategy to remove the eye-sore that is a homeless person from the tender eyeballs of over-privileged fuckheads.
the ever changing laws are CREATED to do just that,and chaos is so right,most cops HATE having to be the ones enforcing these demeaning,dehumanizing laws.

at least hard-core right wing nutbags have the balls to openly despise the poor,but treehugging liberals just cant stomach seeing the wretched openly walking their streets.
they know they exist...
they fret,weep and wring their hands for those poor souls but to actually SEE them?
well,that kind of reality is just too much for their tender sensibilities.
so they criminalize being poor.

hypocritical assholes..the lot of them.

i have lived all over,from boston to san diego and broward county is,by far,the richest i have ever lived in.

but it is mainly a tourist city,so they cant have bums sleeping on the sidewalk or begging for change at the intersections.what would the vacationing swedish family think?
i mean...the horror..the absolute horror!

so they create laws to criminalize the poor in order to sweep them under the rug.just like your momma used to make you clean your room before aunt florence came over.

it is morally bankrupt and ethically repugnant.

god DAMN this pisses me off to no end!
/rant OFF

safety issues?
permits?
fuck me,the dumb is strong here...........

My thought was actually to have multiple projectors per block approximately 10 feet up (building mounted) with sensors to identify people and have them 'place' a smallish ball of light at about 8-10 feet up that floats above and in front of them, but with much less light needed than a 'street light'...and maybe stationary one's in intersections (these could even have 'covers' to stop wasted light from going up). Or, it could project tiny lights (like in the video) near ground level to illuminate the sidewalk, but that's not as useful by far.
By my estimation, there could be less pollution because there would be fewer, smaller lights on at any one time (where normal lights are just ON all night). I agree, there are many issues to solve, but it's doable if thought about thoroughly.
It's a little too late to worry about 'light pollution'...in fact I bet it's not on the average person's radar. Sadly, many people in cities have never seen stars at night and don't have a clue how much is hidden from them. (I live in the boonies of far N cali, and we still have light pollution from nearby towns, but nothing like in a city...I've even watched the international space station get re-supplied while sitting in my hot tub! That was amazing!).

Did nothing wrong? Debatable.
If, as you theorize, they had a call from blocks away and over 15 min before, and minimal 'race' description, it's wrong to stop ANYONE because the likelihood they'll have the right person is minimal at best, and there IS harm when an elderly man is forced to sit on the sidewalk with cops surrounding him, it's both disrespectful and humiliating to him and possibly physically injurious, and would make it much more difficult for him to get a job with any neighbors that saw it happen...all for nothing.
I would bet this lady does NOT hate cops, but does hate it when her elderly friends are profiled, suspected, accused, and held in a humiliating fashion based on nothing more than skin color (your assessment of their 'description').
Skin color is NOT enough description to EVER stop someone not at the scene, unless the skin color is purple. How many 'people of color' do you think there might be within 15 minutes of any crime scene? Your assessment and theory seems to be it would be proper to stop, search, and question all of them, and let the court figure out which one (if any) is the criminal. You wouldn't think the same if the skin color was 'white'...would you?

Yeah, man. Right on! What a horrible, stupid "woman" to stick up for an innocent elderly man she's known for decades who's being falsely suspected and made to sit on the sidewalk.

Of course if a woman who lives there comes out to tell the officer the guy's done nothing wrong and is not whoever they're looking for, their response should be to stay the course and keep spending time working on him anyway just to avoid admitting they made a mistake.

That's a much better course of action than for them to simply walk away to search for the actual suspect.

That dumb bitch lawyer should have just sat back with her mouth shut to let the cops spend more time harassing the guy despite her knowing he's not who they're looking for and innocent of any wrongdoing. That would have been a much better tactic on her part and proved she's no bitch.

Ya and speeding down a sidewalk past a school. He deserved a punch in the head.

We've been on a bunch of dates
I weigh debates that this creates
And hate that state of forced introspection
We traded wit, we swapped some spit,
You fingered me a little bit
But we never really had a connection

You did nothing wrong, I have no excuse
Just my intuition telling me we shouldn't reproduce

I know I have to end it
But pretend to just suspend it
By contending that I'm busy all week
I let the foregone linger on
Text back with an emoticon
Withdraw from you by being oblique

Inside I know my tactics just delay it
But I'd do anything so I don't have to say it

I'll draw this out forever like it's Vietnam
Then one day I'll be gone like Bambi's mom Awww

Cause there's the right thing to do
Then there's what I'm gonna do
There's so much I should say
But instead... I do the fade away

Now I'm fading like chalk on a sidewalk
Or the polio virus after Jonas Salk
Like a Jewish guy at Sizzler on Yom Kippur
The Whig party post Millard Fillmore

The erection of a man on antidepressants
The cast of Diff'rent Strokes after adolescence
Reproductive rights below the Mason Dixon
Native Americans after the barter systems
Your thyroid gland after Hashimoto
The family in the Back to the Future photo
Yeah I fade away

We say that men are asshole who don't communicate
We revel in our victimhood and amplify our hate
We find ways to be indignant like it's a sport
Then dissect their malignance with the views we distort

The way men break up may be sloppy and terse
What they do is bad, but what we do is worse

We pretend to ourselves it's the nice thing to do
To let you down gently by just not ever telling you
And deep down we know it's the worst way to play it
But we are what we have... huge pussies

And women are hypocrites
Especially ones in comedy bands
We see your faults but not our own
Then we wonder why we're all alone

We fill you up with maybe's, excuses and stalls
But like a baby in China... it's better to have balls

Not the Good Wife type like Christine Baranski
So I'll pull out and leave like I'm Roman Polanski

Cause there's the right thing to do
Then there's what I'm gonna do
There's so much I should say
But instead... I do the fade away

Like Verbal Kint fading into Kaiser Soze
The rights in Arizona for a guy named Jose
Opportunities for a college grad
The love between your mom and dad
Gonna Peter out like a gay Cetera
Iranian relations since the Regan era
Black Nike sales after Heaven's Gate
Summer Camp attendance at Penn State
The name Adolph after World War Two
Like Debbie Gibson's pop career, Out of the Blue
Yeah I fade away

Cause I don't wanna get to know you
I just want to blow you... off

Surprised this wasn't already up here . . .

But anyway. To answer above questions:

Police are fighting jurisdiction. Because it's a car on a pedestrian bike way, there's lots of people involved. For instance, we have a road here in Orlando that's owned by the state (FDOT), the city and OUC, our power company. So if someone was to wreck and hit a power pole, all 3 would be involved. If a pedestrian was hit while on the sidewalk, FDOT or OPD would be called and if they wanted to bicker about it, they could endlessly. That's essentially what's happening here, because whomever takes responsibility can be sued.

As for why the biker didn't see the car: when we climb (not saying that was a hard climb, but I don't know her skill level) we tend to not look too far ahead of us. In a case like this, it's almost perfect for us to glance, see no walkers, and then mash the pedals up the hill. Head down, aero and aggressive, gives us the most efficient power usage.

The car, well, I can't attest to how much of a dumbass you must be to not realize you are no longer on the road.

I can agree with that, but it's also sacrilegious to drive one in your neighborhood. I mean, I can run my Jeep with open headers and be a loud obnoxious dickhead that sets off car alarms as I pass too, but why? No problem with this on the track, at the show, or in his garage, but on the street it's not just obnoxious, it's dangerous...I'm certain that is loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage to anyone on the sidewalk or in the street...and that's bad...MmmmmK?

Wow, just think of the new sidewalk he can build with all those recovered Tiles!!!!!