Former MO officer indicted after camera captures him kicking surrendering suspect
BRECKENRIDGE HILLS, Mo. (KMOV.com) – A former Woodson Terrace police officer who was caught on camera kicking a suspect in the head was indicted Thursday for his actions.
Dash cam video showed Officer David Maas kicking a suspect after he surrendered. The incident happened near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Ogden in north St. Louis County in April of 2019.
The indictment asserts the suspect “was compliant and not posing a physical threat to anyone.”
News 4 learned the officer resigned days before an internal affairs review of the incident but was then hired by Breckenridge Hills police.Data is the lifeblood of AI, but complexity slows progress.Does your platform make your data ready for AI?Ad By IBMSee More
Breckenridge Hills Police Chief John Griffin would not confirm if he saw the video prior to hiring Maas, but said his hiring was approved by the city council. Griffin added at the time that Maas’ record was clean, giving him no reason not to hire him.
In Friday’s indictment announcement, Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn said they took Maas’ actions as a betray of his responsibility to the public.
“Law enforcement officers take an oath to serve and protect the public,” he said in the release. “When an officer betrays that oath, and instead uses his or her position to violate a person’s constitutional rights, that officer must be held accountable. Our community, and our profession, deserve no less.”
Maas faces a charge of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both if he is convicted.
Photo Credit: kmov.com