In Miles Davis Is Under Arrest, we posted a photo from the infamous night of August 25, 1959, when Miles Davis, while taking a break outside the legendary Birdland nightclub in New York City, was beaten by the police and arrested.
I just stumbled upon a photograph of that night I have not seen before.
Part of a New York Daily News feature, we get a powerful shot of Davis riding in an ambulance to St. Clare’s Hospital with a police officer.
Jazzman Miles Davis rides in an ambulance to St. Clare’s Hospital with Patrolman Gerald Kildduff. Davis was given ten stitches in his scalp at the hospital. He was standing outside the jazz club Birdland, where he was performing, when Kilduff told him to move along. A scuffle ensued, and a passing plainclothes detective hit Davis with his blackjack, dropping him to the ground. Davis was charged with disorderly conduct and assault.
His arrest was later ruled illegal and a “travesty of justice” by a three-judge panel.
Credits: Kinstler/News
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