Former officer acquitted over an off-duty arrest at a gas station
A judge ruled that prosecutors had not proved the officer lacked authority to make the arrest, and that the force he used was appropriate.
What happened
In August 2019 an off-duty officer and another customer exchanged insults while waiting in line at a gas station. The officer said he was arresting the man for disturbing the peace and believed the man was about to assault him.
The store’s security cameras recorded the encounter, and after an internal investigation the officer was charged with assault.
The outcome
The case was tried before a judge, who ruled in November 2021. The judge found that prosecutors had not proved the officer lacked authority to make an arrest while off duty, and that the force he used was appropriate. He was acquitted.
Read the coverage
- FOX 2 “Former St. Louis officer acquitted of 2019 assault” · Free to read
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Judge acquits former St. Louis police officer of assaulting man at gas mart” · A subscription may be required
Past results afford no guarantee of future results, and every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. The summaries are written by the office from published reports; each article belongs to its publisher, and some require a subscription.
Photograph: St. Louis, Missouri - Civil Courts by MARELBU, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped.
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