The FBI sat down today with a man shown being brutally beaten last September on video taken in the booking area of the Justice Center on SW 3rd, according to the beaten man’s mother.

40-year-old Michael Evans is shown in the jail video, being assaulted by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputies, who are later joined by Portland Police Bureau officers. Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Hathaway, who can be seen in the video punching Evans four times with full force, bringing him to the ground, wrote in a report that he only hit him twice after Evans had hit him in the nose and refused to give finger-prints—events not evident in the video (“Summary Injustice,” News, Jul 19).

Evans also says his fingerprints were taken in a separate room away from the booking area where the beating took place, according to his mother. This slowed-down version of the confrontation between Evans and the jail deputies appears to corroborate Evans’ version of events—showing Hathaway taking the initiative:VIDEO:SLOW-MO-PO-PO-A-GO-GO…

Evans wrote to the FBI in July, claiming that his civil rights were violated during the beating, and that the District Attorney’s office may have tried to cover up the beating by beefing up the charges against him. The FBI refused to confirm or deny whether it was investigating Evans’ case at the time (“Fed Up,” News, Aug 2).

Now, Evans’ mother Anita says his civil attorneys, Benjamin Haile and Leah Greenwald, sat in on an interview by an FBI agent at the justice center at 1pm this afternoon. Evans’ criminal attorney was also present, she says.

“Michael’s attorneys told him the FBI has viewed the video and feel like there are grounds for further investigation,” says Mrs.Evans—who resides in Nevada.

“A complaint has been referred to our office and we are investigating,” says FBI spokesman Mike Sweeney. “But we cannot comment further at this time.”

Haile and Greenwald have declined comment, as have the District Attorney’s Office, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, and Portland Police, as the case is pending litigation.