ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS: GEORGE SOROS BACKED DA HAS COPS INDICTED FOR DOING THEIR JOBS UNDER THE MOST DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

Three North Texas officers indicted on felony assault charges for force used on anti-police brutality protesters in 2020

The three men are accused of using excessive force during May 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd

 

By Jason Beeferman

 

The Texas Tribune

May 6, 2022

 

 

Protesters confront a line of Dallas police officers at a march for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Three North Texas officers were indicted on assault charges for actions against protesters in 2020

 

Two North Texas police officers and a former police officer were indicted Friday on felony charges accusing them of using excessive force against demonstrators protesting against police brutality in May 2020.

Dallas police officer Ryan Mabry and former Dallas officer Melvin Williams were indicted on multiple felony counts of aggravated assault by a public servant and deadly conduct for their involvement with the protests, according to a press release from the Dallas County district attorney’s office. Garland police officer Joe Privitt was indicted on one felony count of aggravated assault by a public servant. The indictments come after nearly two years of investigation, District Attorney John Creuzot said in the release.

Mabry is accused of firing or threatening to fire so-called less-lethal projectiles at three people, according to some of his indictments.

The projectiles are a crowd control measure meant to injure, not kill, but their ​​colloquial name acknowledges their capability to kill depending on where a person is hit. They have also caused serious injuries.

 

Protesters run away as Dallas police officers launch tear gas after a confrontation during a rally for George Floyd

 

“The full story hasn’t been told; you have to look at everything that went on downtown to understand the reasons that the officers had to eventually use force,” Mabry’s lawyer, Toby Shook, said Friday.

Shook said he is confident Mabry will be found not guilty based on “strong evidence” and “statutes that allow officers to use force [when] dispersing a riot.” He added that while many protesters were demonstrating peacefully, it was the “agitators” who were met with projectiles after they blockaded streets and tried to “whip up the crowd.”

“It was a riot,” he said. “There was looting. There were some people who started there, they were there protesting peacefully. Those people weren’t hurt. A lot of protesters, when asked to disperse, would. It’s the persons who didn’t that obviously caused the problem and the violence and the property damage.

The indictments for Williams and Privitt were not available late Friday. The press release announcing the indictments did not detail the specific actions they allegedly took against protesters.

Arrest warrants were issued for Mabry and Williams in February. Each also faces three counts of official oppression. Williams is also alleged to have used so-called less-lethal projectiles.

Williams’ attorney did not respond to an immediate request for comment. It was not immediately known if Privitt is represented by an attorney.

Following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, protests against police departments’ excessive use of force and mistreatment of people of color erupted around the country and in several Texas cities, including Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth, in addition to Dallas.

In Austin, 19 police officers face felony charges for excessive use of force during the May protests. Nine of them — including Texas House candidate Justin Berry — are accused of shooting lead-pellet beanbag rounds at the same woman, according to Travis County indictments.

Before facing the charges for his involvement in the 2020 protests, Williams was fired in late January for a separate incident in which he violated the department’s use-of-force policy during a July 2021 incident captured on video. The video shows Williams repeatedly punching a man in the face during a brawl in Deep Ellum. He was already under two use-of-force investigations, according to The Dallas Morning News.

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Garland Police Chief issues statements regarding recent indictment of Garland Police Officer.

I’m astonished and disappointed to learn that Officer Privitt of the Garland Police Department was indicted by a Dallas County Grand Jury this week related to actions he took in assisting the Dallas Police Department during riots that occurred in Dallas almost two years ago.

 

On May 30th, 2020, Officers of the Garland Police Department, including Officer Privitt, responded to Downton Dallas at the urgent request of the Dallas Police Department, after earlier protests that afternoon had deteriorated into rioting during the later hours. As the Garland Police Chief, I authorized our officers to assist the Dallas Police Department in an effort to prevent the loss of life and property threatened by the riots. 

 

Garland Officers were met with aggressive displays of violence against police officers and were placed into a rapidly evolving, chaotic, and dangerous situation. During the course of that evening, officers faced numerous threats, including people brandishing firearms, lighting fires, destroying property, and throwing make-shift weapons at officers, including bricks, frozen water bottles, rocks, and bottles filled with urine. 

 

In response, officers attempting to stop the rioting were often required to make split-second decisions under the most dangerous of circumstances to protect their lives and the lives and property of the citizens of Dallas, often placing themselves in harm’s way while doing so.

 

Officer Privitt is a highly decorated officer who has honorably served our community as a police officer for over 32 years with no disciplinary record. Given the dangerous circumstances faced by our officers on the night of the riots, I have not seen the evidence against Officer Privitt that rises to the level of the criminal conduct that has been alleged by the Grand Jury, which is Aggravated Assault, by threat, from a public servant. 

 

I do have faith in the Criminal Justice System, and Officer Privitt is entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. Officer Privitt will be placed on administrative duties until this matter is concluded. 

 

The Garland Police Department will not comment further on this matter until the criminal proceedings are resolved.

 

ADDENDUM: "I hope Dallas PD doesn't need any more help." -- Trey Rusk