Ex-Mpls. Officer Sentenced To 180 Days In Workhouse, Loses Peace Officer License
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Six months at the Hennepin County workhouse is what a former Minneapolis cop will serve for kicking an assault suspect in the head.
Christopher Reiter will also never be a police officer again.
The incident in May 2016 was captured on videotape as Reiter was helping catch a man suspected of beating up his girlfriend.
That video was a big reason jurors convicted Reiter of felony third-degree assault.
Reiter was in court Tuesday, and what he said was unconvincing to Judge Fred Karasof, who admonished Reiter for his inconsistencies.
At trial, the former Minneapolis cop said he kicked Mohamed Osman in the head to protect fellow officers, saying that the suspect was armed with a knife.
Surveillance video doesn't show the knife, and none was ever found at the scene or listed in the police report.
"The defendant testified at this trial and in the state's opinion he was not truthful, jury did not believe him and found him guilty," said prosecutor Daniel Allard.
Reiter's attorney objected, saying it's wrong to give his client more time than Osman received, who severely beat his girlfriend.
Reiter never apologized for his actions but told the court he takes responsibility.
"When I rounded the corner, I saw my partner engaging with somebody who I thought and knew to be dangerous," he said. "I just made a quick decision and in hindsight it would never have happened."
For his crime, Reiter will serve six months in the workhouse, and undergo anger management.
Karasof, the judge, said his actions caused more than physical harm.
"We live in a society governed by the rule of law, and we don't tolerate officers taking the law into their own hands," he said. "When that happens, it erodes society's trust in law enforcement."
And at age 27, Reiter's law enforcement career is now over.
"The most important thing for me is Reiter will never be a cop again," Karasof said, "because what he did here and other times simply reflected he had no sense of how a police officer ought to handle themselves."
The judge ordered Reiter to report to the workhouse and begin his sentence on Jan. 3.
He will be allowed work release to support his family but not as a cop, and for the time being, not even as a private security officer.