Officers Want Freddie Gray Trial Held Outside Baltimore

The officers charged in connection with the case of Freddie Gray filed a “lengthy motion” Wednesday asking that trial be moved somewhere other than Baltimore, according to the Associated Press.

Six officers within the Baltimore Police Department face a range of charges for their alleged involvement in the detainment of Gray, the 25-year-old Baltimore man who was arrested April 12 and died a week later in police custody from a spinal injury.

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Riots erupted the day of Gray’s funeral, prompting a five-night emergency curfew across the city.

Attorneys reportedly said there would be prejudice among jurors in Baltimore because of the curfew.

The 85-page request for a change of venue stated that seeking impartial jurors would be “futile” because “events surrounding this case have impacted every citizen of Baltimore,” according to documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun.

It is not the first time a highly publicized case involving allegations of police brutality has been considered for a venue change.

When four Los Angeles Police officers were charged in the 1991 beating of Rodney King, the proceedings were moved to Simi Valley—a suburb the Associated Press described as a “police officers’ bedroom community with a predominantly white population.”

The appellate court ruled the proceedings should take place outside the L.A. media market, according to the National Review, which noted that Simi Valley was tuned in to the same media as L.A.

After the officers were acquitted of the charges (assault and excessive force) in 1992, riots erupted in Los Angeles, resulting in 55 people dead; 20,000 to 40,000 unemployed due to looting; and $1 billion in property damage, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In Baltimore, riots occurred on April 27, hours after Gray was laid to rest. To cover the response, the city on Wednesday authorized $20 million to be transferred from its rainy day fund, according to WJZ.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said that more than 200 businesses were damaged, more than 100 police officers were injured and more than 140 vehicles were set on fire during the riots.

The officers indicted in the Gray case are scheduled to be arraigned in Baltimore City Circuit Court on July 2.

Pictured are the six officers charged with various offenses in connection with the detainment of Freddie Gray: Officer Caesar Goodson, Officer William Porter, Sgt. Alicia White, Lt. Brian Rice, Officer Garrett Miller and Officer Edward Nero.