Indianapolis officer pleads guilty to kicking handcuffed man in the face
A former Indianapolis police sergeant pleaded guilty this week to violating the civil rights of a homeless man, whom he kicked in the face during an arrest in 2021, federal authorities said.
The officer, Eric Huxley, is currently suspended from his role at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Indianapolis Star reported. He entered a guilty plea in federal court on Monday of violating the civil rights of an arrestee by using excessive force, a felony charge that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Huxley was indicted last October on one count of deprivation of rights under the color of law. The charge came just over a year after the illegal arrest, on Sept. 24, 2021, of a man identified in court documents by the initials J.V., the Justice Department said.
While on patrol in downtown Indianapolis, authorities allege that Huxley received a call from another officer requesting assistance to confront "a disorderly person" on Monument Circle. Huxley responded to that request, and the officers placed the man under arrest for disorderly conduct before searching his property.
When officers tried to remove his belt, the man "became confrontational with the officers," leading one to use "a department-approved takedown maneuver to bring J.V., who had already been handcuffed, to the ground," the Justice Department said. As the arresting officer held the man down with one hand, another restrained his legs.
Although these tactics meant the man could not move, Huxley then used his foot to stomp on the man's head while he was handcuffed. The incident was recorded by police body cameras and can be seen in the footage.
"Despite knowing that J.V. had been effectively restrained and posed no further danger to officers or the public, Huxley then intentionally raised his right foot and drove it down onto J.V.'s head and face," the Justice Department said in a news release announcing Huxley's guilty plea.
In a statement included in the release, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Justice Department's civil rights division, emphasized the brutal nature of Huxley's crime.
"This police officer violently and callously assaulted a homeless man who posed no threat," said Clarke. "The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute law enforcement officers for violating federal civil rights laws."
U.S. Attorney Zachary Myers, of Indiana's southern district, added that, in addition to traumatizing victims, "police officers who break the law and use excessive force damage the community's trust in the law enforcement profession" and called for those who commit crimes to be "identified and prosecuted."
A sentencing hearing for Huxley has not yet been scheduled. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment followed by supervised release, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors will ask for a reduced sentence in exchange for Huxley's guilty plea, but a federal judge will determine the final sentence using federal guidelines and other statutory factors.
Huxley also faces official misconduct and battery charges in Marion County, Indiana, CBS 4 reported.