A grand jury indicted two Prince George’s County Police Department officers yesterday on assault charges in the beating of a university student last March after a men’s basketball victory against Duke led to a riot on Route 1.
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After a video showing two county police officers beating then-junior John McKenna without apparent provocation went viral, county police launched an internal investigation, which the FBI took over in December. Yesterday, State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks announced that officers Reginald Baker and James Harrison, members of the department’s special operations division, were charged with first-degree assault — a felony count — second-degree assault and misconduct in office — both misdemeanors — for the incident.
“When there is evidence of potential wrongdoing by a police officer, it would never be appropriate for me to look the other way,” Alsobrooks said in a press release. “If I did so, the residents of Prince George’s County would be right to question my ability to be fair and impartial no matter the type of job or the standing a suspect or defendant may have in our community.”
County Police District 1 Commander Maj. Hector Velez could not be reached for comment last night.
In December, the FBI interviewed about 40 county officers about the riot, where police used horses, pepper spray, pellets and batons to control the student crowd that had spilled onto the street. The indictments yesterday were the first formal charges against the two officers.
McKenna and 27 other people were arrested in connection with the rioting. Most of the charges — including McKenna’s — were dropped after a video surfaced showing officers slamming McKenna against a concrete wall and repeatedly beating him with batons.
McKenna declined to comment yesterday on the incident because the case is still under investigation.
Additional officers allegedly attempted to cover up McKenna’s beating by forcing him to remove a bandage from his head before he was brought to jail, Private Investigator Sharon Weidenfeld said.
The police officers did not file a Use of Force Report because they originally said a horse had injured him, she said.
“The cover-up was not having to write a Use of Force Report as to not be scrutinized by other officers,” Weidenfeld said.
Weidenfeld said she and McKenna’s attorney, Terrell Roberts, are satisfied with the indictment charges against Baker and Harrison.
“[McKenna] is gratified that these indictments have occurred, and we’re hopeful that there will be convictions in both cases,” Weidenfeld said.
In a statement released yesterday, county police Chief Mark Magaw said his administration is focused on maintaining the community’s trust.
University Police Chief David Mitchell, whose officers were not accused of participating in the alleged police brutality, released a statement yesterday afternoon in support of the indictments.
“I respect the work of the state’s attorney and grand jury in this case and will await the conclusion of the criminal justice system,” Mitchell said.
However, Alsobrooks said it’s important to note that an indictment charge doesn’t mean the officers have been found guilty.
“These officers — like anyone else accused of a crime — are presumed innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law,” she said.
