BALTIMORE, MD (Friday, January 8, 2021) — Mayor Brandon M. Scott released the following statement on the indictment of a Baltimore Police Officer who choked and physically assaulted a teenager in 2019:

“Today, the State’s Attorney’s Office brought charges against a police detective who choked and physically assaulted a 17-year-old teenager who was filming an arrest in June 2019. 

Incidents like this one not only undermine our efforts to build trust between police officers and our community, they do not make our neighborhoods safer. This is unacceptable behavior for someone sworn to protect and serve. It is also a fundamental abuse of power. I have spoken with Commissioner Harrison who has assured me that the ongoing internal investigation into this matter will be thorough and handled expeditiously.

While I commend BPD on the progress they have made toward becoming a more constitutionally operating police force as part of the consent decree process, this incident is a stark reminder of the work we have yet to do. We can and we must work to reduce crime in our city without returning to the unacceptable practices of the past that didn’t reduce crime, but broke trust between BPD and our communities. We must strive for nothing less than transparency, accountability and public trust as we work to build a safer city.”

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael S. Harrison issued the follow statement on the officer's indictment: 

“I have been made aware of this incident and this is exactly the type of conduct that we are working to correct to ensure we are delivering constitutional policing and improving relationships with our community. We opened an internal investigation as soon as we became aware of this incident and the officer’s police powers were suspended. The internal investigation continues.”