Delaware Cop Indicted, Dashcam Video Shows Him Kicking Suspect In The Head

WARNING: This video contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers, including explicit language.

A Dover, Delaware police officer has been arrested and charged with second degree assault for a 2013, captured on dashcam video, in which he can be seen kicking a suspect in the head, WPVI (Philadelphia) is reporting.

Officer Thomas Webster responded to a fight at a Dover gas station in August 2013. He eventually caught up to one of the suspects, Latif (or Lateef, in varying reports) Dickerson. He ordered him to the ground.

At 2:34 in the video above, you can see Dickerson complying with Webster’s orders, doing as he was told and not resisting. As Dickerson was getting on the ground, Webster kicked him in the head, so hard that you can see his hat flying off of his head. Dickerson was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw in the assault.

In March 2014, according to The Chicago Sun Times, a Delaware grand jury failed to indict the Dover police officer. However, the Delaware Attorney General took the case to a second grand jury, which indicted the Dover cop on Monday.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sued the Dover Police Department on behalf of Dickerson. Kathleen MacRae, executive director of the ACLU of Delaware, explains:

“We believe that the video demonstrates the need for large-scale reform of the Dover Police Department, specifically improvements to their use of force and internal affairs practices, and supervision of their officers. The people of Dover have a right to know about this incident and deserve a dialogue with law enforcement about how they can create a safe and equitable Dover community for all.”

The Dover Police Department had tried to keep the video under wraps, claiming that it was “confidential.” The ACLU’s lawsuit forced the Department’s hand, however, after a judge last week ruled that the video can no longer keep it confidential.

Central Delaware Branch of the NAACP spokesperson La Mar Gunn criticized the decision to release the video, saying that doing so could stir tensions before NAACP leaders have had a chance to meet with the community.

“This premature release I don’t believe sends the right message, and it places unnecessary risk on members of the community.”

As for the cop seen on the video kicking a suspect in the head, his lawyer, James Liguori, claims that the video doesn’t tell the whole story of what happened that night.

“[The public has] only seen half the movie.”

[Image courtesy of: YouTube]