Judge Orders Fmr. BPD Officer Seen Punching Man Be Released From Jail
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A former Baltimore Police Department officer indicted on assault charges after being seen on video punching a man repeatedly has pleaded not guilty, and a judge has ordered his release from jail until his trial in October.
The officer, who has been identified as Arthur Williams by attorney Warren Brown, turned himself in to police on Tuesday after he was indicted by the grand jury. He was taken to the Central Booking for processing.
Williams pleaded not guilty to first and second-degree assault and misconduct in office. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison.
Despite the requests of both pre-trial services and the prosecutor, Judge Charles Peters ordered Williams be freed on his own recognizance until his trial, which he scheduled for October 23rd.
Prosecutors argued the officer should be held in jail because he is a threat to the community, but the judge later allowed for his release.
"He attacked a citizen without provocation or justification," said assistant state's attorney StacyAnn Llewellyn.
Williams' attorney, Thomas Maronick, Jr., said the video "doesn't tell the whole story," He said his client was provoked but declined to provide details.
"Arthur is not a threat to anyone in the community," Maronick said. "He looks very much forward to his day in court- his chance to tell his side of the story,"
Maronick declined to say why his client resigned from the police force. He criticized the police union for "throwing him under the bus,"
The defense attorney said union leadership "should have been standing up for him," He took issue with the union president calling the incident, "another black eye" for the department.
Through a public relations firm, Baltimore City's Fraternal Order of Police declined to comment.
Williams, who is also a Marine, husband and a father of a child, received top honors at the police academy graduation last April.
The man he punched on the video, Dashawn McGrier, had to be hospitalized after the attack for a fractured jaw and broken ribs.
"As good a person as he is, I'm sure he finds sympathy for anyone who is ever injured in an accident," Maronick said of the former officer.
Prosecutors argued Williams' resignation from the force made it more difficult to monitor.
"We strongly disagree that because he's no longer on the police force that he can't be monitored," Maronick said.
The judge ordered Williams have no contact with McGrier.
In her first interview, Shonta McGrier, McGrier's mother said she supports charges against the officer. She said they knew each other prior to the incident.
McGrier's lawyer, Warren Brown, said the officer had been harassing McGrier for months.
"When I watched the video and I'd seen my child laying in a pool of blood basically coming from his head, I didn't know what was going to happen after that," McGrier's mother said. "I believe he should be charged as anyone else who had personal issues and chose to deal with them in that manner,"
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh discussed the incident on Tuesday, saying in part, "I think we all were shocked to see the actions of the officer."
RELATED: Attorney For Man Beaten By Baltimore Officer Says The Cop Had A History Of 'Antagonizing'
In a video that went viral on social media, the police officer can be seen punching the man, identified as Dashawn McGrier, several times before taking him into custody.
McGrier received medical treatment for his injuries. Brown said his client suffered a fractured jaw and fractured ribs.
The second officer involved has been placed on administrative duties and is not facing charges.
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