Cops Who Body-Slammed Wheelchair-Bound Man Won't Be Charged
Here we see two D.C. transit police officers apprehending a wheelchair-bound man named Dwight Harris by throwing him to the ground with such force that a pool of his blood forms on the sidewalk. Why do they do this? Oh, because Harris was allegedly drinking some alcoholic devil-drink in public.
Harris also supposedly assaulted at least one of the officers, though the video shows no such attack. The Washington Post reports that Harris' assault charge was dropped not long after this cell phone horror movie showed up on YouTube; the drinking charge was as well. Despite this fact, and the other fact that Harris was unceremoniously thrown to the ground and needed stitches because of the whole blood-pouring-out-of-his-head problem, the two officers who apprehended him won't face any federal criminal civil rights charges:
In a statement Saturday, DOJ spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges after investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed training records, video and medical reports. "Accident, mistake, fear, negligence or bad judgment are not sufficient to establish such a criminal violation," she said.
While the feds conducted their investigation, the cops were placed on administrative duty with pay. Now that they're off the hook, they'll be put back on the street. To serve and protect! To throw and to slam! Disabled D.C. residents should probably move to Takoma Park.
