Baltimore Police Officer Charged With Assault, Misconduct In Office For Allegedly Slamming Man To Ground Who Refused To Wear Face Mask
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore City police officer has been charged with assault and misconduct in office for allegedly slamming a man to the ground who refused to wear a face mask inside of a Shoppers Supermarket in April.
Last week, a grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Detective Andre Maurice Pringle, including one count of second-degree assault and one count of misconduct in office.
The indictment alleges that a man walked into a Shoppers Supermarket with a face mask on top of his head in violation of Gov. Larry Hogan's executive order.
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A Shoppers Supermarket manager asked the man to put his face mask on properly, and he refused. The manager called store security, who asked the man to comply with the governor's order or leave, and again, he refused. The manager then called Pringle.
Pringle, who was in uniform at the time, approached the man and told him that he had to leave the store.
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The two began walking toward the exit. The man was yelling and cursing at Pringle as they continued toward the exit, according to court documents.
Pringle and the man walked into an enclosed area between the exit when the man stopped and glared at him.
The man then turned back around and Pringle responded by grabbing him by his jacket and shoving him out of the store's exit. Once outside, Pringle slammed the man to the ground, face first, causing him to hit his head on the concrete, according to the indictment.
Pringle faces up to up to 10 years in prison for the assault charge. There is no statutory penalty for the misconduct charge, which is classified as a misdemeanor.
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