Officer Arthur Williams caught on video beating Dashawn McGrier
Baltimore, MD — A Baltimore police officer, identified as Arthur Williams, will face several charges after he was caught brutally attacking a man in a viral video. The incident has once again opened the controversy underlying the police department’s treatment of the city’s Black residents, even by Black cops.Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Tuesday that a grand jury has indicted Arthur Williams, who previously resigned from the Baltimore Police Department on Sunday, on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, as well as misconduct in office. A warrant has also been issued for William’s arrest.
Video of Williams repeatedly beating 26-year-old Dashawn McGrier immediately went viral since a bystander who recorded it posted it to Facebook and Instagram on Saturday. Both Williams and McGrier are Black.
In the video, Williams can be seen punching McGrier in the head and face. McGrier didn’t fight back and even fell to the ground but Williams still didn’t stop. Bystanders can also be heard in the background criticizing the officer’s use of force.
According to reports, Williams also had a previous encounter with McGrier last June. McGrier’s attorney, Warren Brown, claims Williams has taunted and harassed his client for months.
“This was personal; it was not professional,” Brown told CNN. “It was, ‘I’m the police and I have the power.'”
McGrier was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries including fractured jaw and ribs, swelling around his eye, and ringing in his ears. He wasn’t charged in the Saturday incident.
Meanwhile, the second officer who was there during the assault but did not stop it has been placed on administrative leave but will not face any charges.
Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle said that he was “extremely disappointed” of the incident. “I don’t think that was any room for the activity that I saw in the video and it is extremely disturbing,” he said during a press conference on Monday.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh also called the footage of the assault “disturbing” and appealed for the department’s immediate action. She said in a statement on August 11, “We are working day and night to bring about a new era of community-based, Constitutional policing and will not be deterred by this or any other instance that threatens our efforts to reestablish trust of all citizens in the Baltimore Police Department.”
Watch the live footage below: