Crime & Safety
Police Sergeant Assaulted; 'I Am Outraged,' Commissioner Says
Authorities say they are working to identify those involved in kicking an officer arresting someone on Pennsylvania Avenue.
BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said he was "outraged" by video showing a police sergeant being kicked while trying to make an arrest.
The officer was checking on a Pennsylvania Avenue business before midnight Friday when police said someone inside started arguing with him and spat in his face.
Video posted online shows other people kicking the sergeant as he is arresting the person accused of spitting on him.
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Baltimore Police: Sergeant spat on, kicked by several while trying to make an arresthttps://t.co/U9basDi1Yg pic.twitter.com/4vdhEOSu2J
— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) January 19, 2020
"Based on our preliminary review of the incident, the sergeant did nothing to provoke the assault, and the sergeant should be commended for using the appropriate amount of force to apprehend his assailant," Harrison said.
The officer had been trying to remove people from the business, Harrison said at a press conference Saturday, broadcast by WBFF.
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"The men and women of our department work tirelessly to protect the people of Baltimore every hour of every day. The actions of these assailants — and this type of behavior — simply will not be tolerated," Harrison said in a statement.
"I am outraged, as any resident of Baltimore should be, by this incident," the commissioner said. "We can not, and will not, allow any member of the public, or one of our officers, to be assaulted. We are now working to identify everybody involved and, when we do, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The officer was "where he was supposed to be and doing what he was supposed to do," Harrison told WBFF. "He was attacked by ruthless criminals."
Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby issued a statement vowing to hold those involved accountable.
"I am disgusted by the blatant assault against the police officer in the video and my office will work with the BPD to bring the perpetrators to justice," Mosby said. "Violence has no place against anyone. Period."
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