Baltimore’s mayor says that a police sergeant accused of spitting on a handcuffed man should resign.
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Bystanders in the video are heard shouting that the officer spit on the man.
The video comes days after another cell phone video showed a suspect punching officers as he violently resisted arrest. Interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis says the video shows Mesner’s body and head move forward in a way that indicates he may have spit on the man under arrest, who was handcuffed and on the ground. That is outrageously unacceptable and it directly contradicts the necessary community relationships we are striving to rehabilitate.
A 34-year-old Baltimore police officer is under fire after a video surfaced online that appears to show the man spitting on a man he was arresting.
The police issued a statement on Tuesday that said the Baltimore Police Department was aware of the video and would be conducting an internal investigation.
Davis said he has “serious concerns” and that an investigation is underway.
Davis says police aren’t just reviewing what happened, they’re launching a full Internal Affairs investigation into the officer’s actions. “Our entire community deserves to be treated with dignity and respect”, Davis said. “The fact that it’s captured on video more and more and more is new to society”, Davis said. The officer at the center of the investigation is on administrative duty. He replaced former Commissioner Anthony Batts, who had come under heavy criticism after an unarmed black man died of injuries sustained while in police custody in April. His death prompted protests and rioting, leading to a curfew and the governor sent the National Guard to the city.
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The Baltimore Police Department is investigating an incident in which an officer allegedly spit on a suspect being arrested.
