Warning: Video contains violence that some viewers may find disturbing.
The arrest begins at 2:20.
A POLICE OFFICER in Dover, Delaware has been charged with kicking a black man in the face during an arrest almost two years ago.
Police released a video of the incident this week, after a federal judge ruled it was no longer considered confidential.
The judge’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the suspect by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Recorded by another officer’s dashboard camera, the video shows Corporal Thomas Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in the face as he was complying with orders to get down on his hands and knees.
Dickerson, 30, was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw, police said in a news release after Webster was charged.
Webster, 41, was arrested on Monday and placed on unpaid leave after a grand jury indicted him for second-degree assault.
A previous grand jury declined to indict him in March 2014, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after reviewing the case, found there had been no violation of Dickerson’s civil rights.
However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) subsequently sued Dover police on his behalf.
Webster and a second officer encountered Dickerson while responding to a fight at a local petrol station, which they believed may have involved someone with a gun.
Court records show that Dickerson has a long criminal history, including weapons charges, although that was not known to Webster when he was arresting him.
Contains reporting by the Associated Press.
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