Ohio officer curb-stomps handcuffed arrestee weeks after avoiding indictment
A police officer in Columbus, Ohio, who was nearly indicted for a past fatal shooting has been placed on indefinite non-patrol duty after he was caught on video kicking a handcuffed man in the head as he lay on the ground.
On Saturday, officers with the Columbus Police Department arrested Demarko Anderson for alleged drug and weapons crimes. Police said while officers were responding to a report of shots fired, Anderson attempted to get away from them, according to WSYX. Anderson was eventually apprehended and handcuffed.
Laying on his stomach on a sidewalk, Anderson, a black man, was approached by Officer Zachary Rosen, a white man who forcefully stomped on the suspect's head. The action was caught on video by a nearby resident, who posted the footage to YouTube.
"He didn't have to do that, he's already down and handcuffed," said Roiesha Peterford, who captured the video. "I could see if he was trying to get away."
Police said Rosen's actions "were inconsistent with department training and values." Rosen has been placed on non-patrol duty for the indefinite future. He faces possible further discipline, WSYX reported.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he was "disturbed and upset" by the footage, adding he will "put the full resources of the city behind the investigation" of the incident.
"The behavior we saw in the video was unacceptable and inconsistent with our values as a community," the mayor said in a statement. "It erodes the trust the residents of this city place in law enforcement."
In late March, a grand jury opted not to indict Rosen and another Columbus officer for the fatal shooting of Henry Green, a black man.
On June 6, 2016, Rosen and Jason Bare were in plainclothes in an unmarked SUV when, they claimed, Green pointed a gun at their vehicle. The officers said they immediately exited the vehicle and ordered Green to drop the gun. But, police said, Green raised his gun and fired. Officers returned fire, killing Green.
Conflicting eyewitness accounts said the officers did not make clear they were police and did not give Green time to react, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Green's family released a statement in response to the new video of Rosen.
"It is unfortunate that it takes video evidence to uncover the actions of Officer Rosen but whatever it takes to expose how he has operated in our communities," said the family in the statement, according to WSYX.
