Video shows the moment a police officer hit an unarmed man with squad car
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DELLWOOD, MO (KMOV) — A second video was released Tuesday showing the moment a Florissant police officer drove over a lawn and hit an unarmed man with an unmarked patrol car on June 2.
The man seen hit in the video was chased because he was in a car matching the description of another vehicle wanted for a shots fired call that day. The man was not the one police officers were looking for.
The first video surfaced four days after the incident, prompting investigations by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Florissant Police Chief Timothy Fagan said he found out about what happened when the video surfaced.
Detective Joshua Smith, who is seen driving into the man and then taking him to the ground and hitting him, was suspended and later fired on June 10.
“After the victim is struck and seriously injured, Detective Joshua Smith kicks and beat him while the victim is screaming in pain and fear, begging for someone to help him,” the man’s attorney’s said in a statement. “The victim suffered serious injuries requiring surgery and remains traumatized by this shocking incident.”
The victim’s attorneys said all three detectives involved in the incident should be held accountable, adding the second video is sufficient enough to charge Smith with assault and armed criminal action. No charges have been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.
Smith’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, previously said in a statement he believes what Smith did was “simply an accident.”
The two other officers involved remain on leave.
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