Updated: Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018; 11:55 a.m. EDT: The Baltimore police officer who resigned from his job after being caught brutally beating a black man has been indicted by a grand jury on criminal charges, including first-degree assault.
The officer, now identified as Arthur Williams, was initially suspended hours after video surfaced of the incident, which occurred on Saturday. In the video, Williams could be seen pummeling Dashawn McGrier, who is left bloodied. By Sunday, Williams had resigned with the department accepting his resignation.
On Tuesday, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced that a warrant has been issued for Williams’ arrest, NPR reports.
“It is important that the community knows there is one standard of justice, no matter your sex, race, religion, or occupation,” Mosby said. “Police officers are sworn to protect and serve and when that oath is taken for granted and an abuse of that power is evident, we will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law. This is an integral part to rebuilding trust in our criminal justice system.”
Mosby noted that for Williams to be found guilty of first-degree assault, prosecutors “must also prove that the defendant intended to cause serious physical injury in the commission of the assault.”
Williams is also facing charges of misconduct in office and second-degree assault in the case.
Williams’ partner, who was present during the beating and did nothing to stop it, will not be facing charges based on a preliminary assessment, Mosby noted.
According to McGrier’s attorney, Warren Brown, McGrier sustained a “fractured jaw, two fractured ribs, [and] he lost feeling in his left leg” from the attack.
Earlier:
The unidentified Baltimore police officer who was caught on camera viciously beating a man for apparently no damn reason has taken the coward’s way out and resigned from the force.
According to Yahoo! News, the police department confirmed on Sunday, August 12, that the officer whose identity they are still protecting, had stepped down just a day after the horrifying footage surfaced, leading to his suspension.
In the video the officer can be seen coming up to Dashawn McGrier and asking for McGrier’s identification. McGrier refused, and the officer proceeded to try to beat the ID out of him I suppose, furiously punching McGrier in his head even as he fell to the ground. McGrier was left bleeding from his head.
The cop’s partner, who was also present at the scene (and remains on administrative duties) did nothing to stop the brutal barrage of blows.
Baltimore’s Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle claimed he was “deeply disturbed” by the incident, immediately suspending the officer as police conducted an investigation.
“The officer involved has been suspended while we investigate the totality of this incident. Part of our investigation will be reviewing body worn camera footage,” Tuggle said, according to Yahoo! News. “I have zero tolerance for behavior like I witnessed on the video today. Officers have a responsibility and duty to control their emotions in the most stressful of situations.”
However, hours later, Tuggle accepted his resignation, although the case remains an active criminal investigation, per the police.
McGrier’s lawyer, Warren Brown, said that this is not the first time that McGrier and the officer have had a run in. McGrier is facing assault charges for allegedly attacking the officer in June, charges which he is fighting in court.
“He is charged with assaulting that officer then, and so here this officer now is like, you know, going after him,” Brown said.
In video footage provided by one of McGrier’s friends, the officer can be seen pinning McGrier forcefully to the ground. It is not clear what happened before McGrier was immobilized however.
“It is just an act of police brutality that was unwarranted, and it just does nothing for police-community relations,” Brown added of the most recent encounter. “It does nothing to lower crime. My client was not involved in any criminal activity. It’s just gratuitous violence that’s unnecessary and does no good for the city.”