Officer In School Assault Video Appears In Court Friday

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore school police officer seen slapping a student in a video posted on YouTube in March was back in court Friday.

Pat Warren reports he faces charges of second degree assault and misconduct in office.

The video showing the officer slapping and kicking a student sparked public outrage. He was in court for arraignment Friday.

The video of a school police officer slapping and kicking a 16-year-old student resulted in charges against 44-year-old Anthony Spence and another officer, Saverna Bias. Spence was initially charged with felony child abuse but prosecutors later dropped that charge. He's facing second degree assault and misconduct in office.

Attorney Warren Brown says the video doesn't tell the story.

"The facts will hold us in good stead during the course of the balance of this case," Brown said.

Brown says the incident at Reach Partnership School in Clifton Heights was provoked when two students---who Brown alleges weren't supposed to be in the building---confronted Officer Bias and one of them spit on Spence.

"You don't wait for someone to further an assault once they spit on you," Brown said.

Spence and Bias were both arraigned on misdemeanor charges. Neither Bias nor her attorney commented on the case but Brown says the students should have been charged.

"And instead these officers who are there to protect the student body that rightfully attend there end up being the ones being charged. There's something upside down about that," Brown said.

But the city state's attorney's office will argue the evidence proves otherwise.

The trials are set for July 27. Both officers have been suspended.