​Case Against Amaurie Johnson​ Dropped: La Mesa Police

LA MESA, CA — Authorities announced Friday that they will not pursue criminal charges against a young black man whose videotaped scuffle with a white police officer detaining him near Grossmont Transit Center prompted accusations of racially motivated law enforcement brutality.

"After a full review of all of the evidence in the criminal investigation against Amaurie Johnson ... the La Mesa Police Department has decided it will not be seeking prosecution of Mr. Johnson on any of the alleged misdemeanor charges (he was arrested for)," LMPD Lt. Greg Runge said late this afternoon.

In cellphone video images that prompted widespread condemnation on social media, the La Mesa police officer, whose name has not been made public, can be seen pushing Johnson, 23, into a seated position on a bench and grabbing his arm as the two men argued on May 27.

During a news conference this week, La Mesa Police Chief Walt Vasquez told reporters Johnson initially was contacted for smoking in public, which is illegal in that area, before being arrested on suspicion of assault on an officer and resisting arrest. Johnson ultimately was released on a misdemeanor citation, Vasquez said.

Johnson told reporters he had no smoking materials at the time of the confrontation and was simply waiting in the area for a friend to pick him up when the officer approached.

Many members of the public have decried the incident as an outrageous example of racial profiling. Three days after it took place, a large crowd staged a raucous anti-police-brutality demonstration outside La Mesa City Hall in reaction to Johnson's arrest and the in-custody death of 46-year-old George Floyd of Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

The rally devolved into violence, looting and arson fires that destroyed several commercial buildings.

Amid the chaos, a La Mesa grandmother, 59-year-old Leslie Furcron, suffered severe injuries when she was struck in the forehead with a rubber bullet. She was hospitalized in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma, according to her family, who said she may lose an eye due to the ordeal.

Investigations into both incidents by "an independent reviewer" have been initiated, city officials told news crews during the news conference on Wednesday.

Also see:

• Police Seek Tips On Looters Who Damaged Buildings In La Mesa
• Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Looting La Mesa Store
• La Mesa Police Department Ceases Chokeholds
• La Mesa Facebook Group Seeks To Deter Looters After Violent Riots
• Thousands Raised For La Mesa Businesses After Devastating Riots
• La Mesa Cleans Up After Night Of Protests, Arson And Looting
• Nightly Curfew Extended In La Mesa After Riots

— City News Service