Dover Police Officer Indicted In Connection With Video Of Arrest 2 Years Ago
DOVER, Del. (CBS) -- A Dover police officer has been indicted in connection with a video of an arrest two years ago.
This dash-cam video is at the crux of criminal charges now facing a Dover police officer.
In August 2013, police responded to a fight at a Dover gas station. In the video, you see an officer police have identified as Cpl. Tom Webster surround a suspect, allegedly kicking that suspect Lateef Dickerson in the face and Dickerson appears to fall unresponsive.
"He broke his jaw and knocked him unconscious," said Kathleen MacRae of the ACLU.
"Mr. Dickerson was unconscious until he woke up in the police cruiser right outside the hospital," said MacRae.
Kathleen MacRae is with the ACLU. Last year they filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Dover and the police department, alleging that Dickerson was assaulted. The lawsuit was filed after a grand jury failed to indict Officer Webster in 2014.
But on May 4, 2015, the Delaware Attorney General's Office took this case before a second grand jury which did indict Cpl. Webster, charging him with second degree assault.
And now, after nearly two years the video that lead to the charges has been released.
"We stick to why we released the video. We released the video because the judge considered it no longer to be confidential. And at that point, we decided to release it. We're a very transparent police department. And we feel that we handled this situation properly," said Dover Police Spokesperson Lt. Jason Pires.
"I believe that the City of Dover acted properly when they released the video. I think the community had a right to see that and I think that the transparency is very important," said MacRae.
Officer Webster turned himself in on Monday. He has been released on $5,000 bail. He's also been suspended without pay pending the outcome of this case.