Three DeKalb County police
officers were charged Thursday with beating teenage suspects in custody, some
of them while handcuffed, as part of what prosecutors are calling a criminal
conspiracy.
A DeKalb County grand jury
indicted Blake Andrew Norwood, Arthur Parker III and Sgt. Anthony Remone
Robinson on a total of 15 counts including aggravated assault, battery,
violating their oaths as police officers, making false statements and
racketeering.
“It is a sad and unfortunate day in this county when we have to bring
what we consider to be our own before a DeKalb County
grand jury,” DeKalb County District
Attorney Robert James told reporters. "We have three officers doing their
duty, and while they were, they violated the law. We are going to seek to hold
them accountable."
DeKalb police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said in an e-mail that the
department aided the district attorney's investigation.
"The DeKalb County Police
Department cooperated, even brought the allegations to light and were on the
forefront of the investigation that led to the indictments," Parish said.
"We steadfastly hold our employees to high standards and applaud the
courageous officers who brought the offense to light that led to these charges.
..."
Three of the four teens the officers were alleged to have beaten were
juveniles, and the one who was an adult at the time of his attack has sued two
of the officers. The alleged incidents took place Dec. 23, 2010, and Nov. 15,
2011.
The officers were ordered to surrender Thursday afternoon at the DeKalb County jail. As of 11 p.m., only one had
turned himself in, Channel 2 Action News reported.
James described the first incident happening Dec. 23, 2010 to three
teens, ages 15 and 16, who he said fit the description of a call reporting a
potential burglary.
“When officers arrived … they were handcuffed, and Sgt. Robinson … gave
the order to beat these young men with hands and feet,” James said.
On Nov. 15, 2011, Norwood and Parker beat a handcuffed Travarrius
Williams so badly the 18-year-old suffered internal injuries and a broken
tooth, prosecutors allege.
“Both of them punched me in the face,” Williams told The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action
News. “Then they slammed my face into the windshield.”
Williams said he was especially concerned that the two officers who
allegedly beat him were ordered to do so.
“When people get high in authority, they feel like they’ve got power
over anybody,” he said. “The police department is really just like another
gang.”
The indictment says the officers failed to uphold the DeKalb Police
Department’s mission to protect its citizens.
Robinson, Norwood and Parker “used excessive and unlawful force on
multiple occasions … on persons who were not resisting and were in custody,
posing no risk to … other officers or the public,” the indictment says.
In particular, prosecutors levied the racketeering charges stating that
the pattern of behavior by agents of a government entity “constitutes an
‘enterprise’” as defined by state statutes.
James said the officers used the color of law enforcement to commit
crime, and said this indictment could impact other arrests the officers have
made.
“You’re talking about similar conduct,” James said. “You’re talking
about a pattern. There was an attempt to cover up after this took place,trying
to get individuals to lie about Mr. Williams spitting on them.”
Williams filed the lawsuit against Norwood and Parker in March, claiming
personal injury at their hands.
Both officers were arrested in November and charged with battery and
violation of oath of office, and were released on $10,000 bond. They later
resigned in lieu of termination, police officials said.
Robinson has been on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the
District Attorney's investigation, authorities said.
Like the other three youths, Williams had been arrested for allegedly
trying to break into a home.
After being taken to the police department’s south precinct for
questioning, he said he was taken to a car in the rear of the building by a
female officer, then moved to a different car by a pair of male officers.
“They said that I spit on them,” Williams said. “But I didn’t.”
Then he said the two officers attacked him, injuring his back and ribs
and breaking a tooth, he said.
“I think a lieutenant or sergeant instructed them to do it,” he said.
“They were punching, kicking, stomping on me. I just really wanted somebody to
stop it.”
Williams’ attorney, Brian Spears, said the charges brought Thursday will
likely broaden his case. “This could change the outcome,” Spears said.
He said he’s glad prosecutors have taken note.
“It’s remarkable that the District Attorney’s office has gone ahead with
the kind of resources that they need to bring to bear in order to be certain
that when there are officers that are engaged in this kind of conduct that
they’ll be held accountable,” Spears said. “This is the kind of conduct by
police officers that, if goes unchecked, people get killed.”
He said behavior like that allegedly exhibited by the accused officers
causes young black men and adolescents to fear police.
“That’s why we run when we see them,” Williams said. “We don’t run
because we did something wrong. We run because they’re going to beat us or they
could shoot us.”
Both Williams and Spears said they’re grateful that an officer stepped
in to report what happened.
"That kind of officer is the officer we need more of,” Spears said.
Williams said he’s happy the accused officers have been charged.
“They finally got what they have coming to them,” Williams said.
“They’re supposed to protect us, not harm us."