A Jackson County grand jury has indicted two Kansas City police officers on misdemeanor fourth degree assault charges tied to a 2019 arrest that was captured on bystander video, according to KSHB and the Associated Press.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced that officers Matthew Brummett, 37, and Charles Prichard, 47, were indicted on Friday. The charges stem from the May 24, 2019 arrest of Brianna, a transgender woman, outside a beauty supply store. Store employees and Brianna both reportedly called 911 after a dispute, and the store asked that she be removed.
Cellphone video taken by a bystander reportedly shows the officers kneeing Brianna while she was handcuffed. According to the officers, she was resisting and was taken to the ground. They also maintain that she struck her own head on the pavement and that they restrained her to keep her from causing herself more harm. Brianna was ticketed for trespassing, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Peters Baker said her office took the case to a grand jury after Kansas City police investigators declined to provide a probable cause statement and concluded the officers did nothing wrong. She voiced disappointment with that outcome.
Both officers have been placed on administrative leave and are due in court in August. The charges carry a possible sentence of up to one year in jail.
A statement released through the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 99 said both officers cooperated fully with the department’s investigation. It said they believe the force they used was reasonable under the circumstances, that they strongly dispute the basis of the charges, and that they expect to be cleared in court.
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