Minneapolis SWAT
officer charged with assault
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A
Minneapolis police sergeant and SWAT officer — who was apparently angered by a
loud cellphone conversation — was charged with assault Monday for allegedly
punching a man in the head, seriously injuring him.
Minneapolis police
Sgt. David Clifford, the executive officer of the Minneapolis Police SWAT unit,
was in the Anoka County Jail on Monday. He is charged with third-degree
assault, and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
"You wouldn't
think a police officer would behave in this way," said Anoka County
Sheriff's Cmdr. Paul Sommer. "It's kind of a shock to our system."
Sommer identified the
victim as Brian Keith Vanderlee, 34, of Ramsey. The hospital was not providing
information about Vanderlee's condition, but Sommer said that, as of Monday
morning, Vanderlee was on life support and had undergone two brain surgeries