Viral Video Leads to Baltimore Police Misconduct Investigation
A police misconduct investigation is underway after a viral video surfaced of a brutal assault at the hands of a Baltimore police officer, reported The Baltimore Sun.
The incident in question occurred on Saturday, August 11th, near the 2600 block of East Monument Street in East Baltimore. At that point, two police officers stopped the 26-year-old man. Then the officers let the man go. But they approached him a second time to provide a contact sheet.
That is when the situation escalated quickly. The viral video shows one officer placing his hand on the 26-year-old man’s chest and pushing him against a wall. When the man tried to remove the officer’s hand from his chest, the officer began throwing a seemingly endless barrage of punches.
After raining down several blows, the officer then pushed the 26-year-old man onto the steps of a nearby building. Even though the man was already on the ground, the officer continued to throw punch after punch. The man attempted to block some of the blows but did not appear to fight back. Throughout this entire process, the second police officer appeared to do little to defuse or de-escalate the situation.
Once the dust settled, the 26-year-old man suffered physical injuries to his jaw, nose and ribs. The man received medical treatment, including X-rays, for several suspected fractures. While the man recovers, an official investigation into police misconduct is already underway.
In terms of the official police response to this incident, the department suspended the officer who punched the 26-year-old man. The department also placed the other officer on administrative leave. Furthermore, the department is conducting a full investigation into this incident, including a review of body camera footage. Both officers may face additional penalties once the investigation concludes. And the department remains committed to their new policy of community-focused policing.
In terms of motivation for this brutal assault, the 26-year-old man claims that the officer was targeting him after a past incident. Back in June, the man had a similarly charged encounter with the same police officer. After that incident, the man was charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, obstruction and disorderly conduct.
At this point, the Baltimore Police Department is investigating all aspects of this unfortunate incident. Department officials urged any person with information about this incident to contact the Office of Professional Responsibility to submit a full statement. Potential witnesses can submit a statement by sending an email to complaints@baltimorepolice.org, by calling 410-396-2300 or by visiting any district police station.
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Resources:
baltimorepolice.org/transparency/citizen-complaints
baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-police-incident-20180811-story.html
