No Charges Filed Against Arizona Police Officers For Beating Black Man On Camera

Are we surprised? Mesa, Arizona Police are not being charged for the beating of Robert Johnson earlier this year. According to #FoxNews, The #Scottsdale Police Department issued a statement saying that investigators determined “the use of force was legally authorized and justified” by #Mesa police under state law.

Will Biascoechea, President of the Mesa Fraternal Order of Police told Fox 10 in a statement, “We’re glad to see the decision not to charge police officers for doing their job. Charging police criminally for doing their job can negatively impact the decision-making process for all law enforcement who work to protect the community and must make split-second decisions. It’s important for the public to know that camera footage sometimes captures just one perspective without context.”

The incident started as a simple domestic call, Johnson explaining he was at his ex-girlfriend’s home with a friend to get some things. Once police arrived, he was asked to sit down several times and he did not comply. After a final request to sit down, Johnson instead leaned against a wall near an elevator. That’s when several officers began punching him repeatedly. 

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Johnson’s Attorney, Benjamin Taylor, says he is still recovering from a concussion, scrapes and bruises from the attack. 

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“When officers can get away with assaulting citizens, people in our community will lose trust in them and our justice system. The whole world saw the beating Mr. Johnson took at the hands of these Mesa Police Officers,” Attorney Taylor said in a statement to #Fox10.