Cases Involving Fired Cops Dismissed By Solicitor

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Eighty-nine criminal cases involving two Gwinnett County Police officers fired for abusing a man at a traffic stop have been tossed out by prosecutors.

Gwinnett County Solicitor-General Rosanna Szabo announced that 63 cases in Gwinnett County Recorder's Court and 26 cases in Gwinnett County State Court have been dismissed.

In each of those cases, either Master Police Officer Robert McDonald or Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni was the principal officer or a necessary witness.

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Both officers were fired Thursday after videos surfaced showing them striking and kicking a man during a traffic stop in Lawrenceville.

"In many cases, justice calls for a conscientious and thorough prosecution," Szabo said in a news release. "However, when police officers betray the public’s trust and confidence, justice demands that all those cases that depend on their credibility be dismissed without delay."

The Solicitor’s Office is the prosecuting authority for misdemeanor cases and traffic offenses in Gwinnett County.

A video posted online Thursday by local Black Lives Matter activists showed McDonald, as the second officer on the scene, running up and stomping the head of a man who was already handcuffed an face down in the road.

Within 24 hours of the video surfacing, McDonald had been fired and a criminal investigation into the incident begun. Then, a second video surfaced — this one showing Bongiovanni striking the same man in the face as he was standing with hands raised to get out of his vehicle.

"The actions of these officers completely undermine their credibility and they cannot be relied upon as witnesses in any pending prosecution.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Sugarloaf Parkway and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road.

"The actions of these officers completely undermine their credibility and they cannot be relied upon as witnesses in any pending prosecution," Szabo said in the news release.

Photo via Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta Facebook page