2 Prince George's Officers Indicted for Allegedly Beating Student

Two Prince George’s County Police officers were indicted by a grand jury Tuesday for their alleged involvement in last year’s beating of a University of Maryland student during a riot that followed a Duke basketball game.

Officers Reginald Baker and James Harrison are both charged with first-degree assault, which is a felony count and can lead to a maximum 25 years in prison, according to The Washington Post. Baker and Harrison also face charges of second-degree assault and misconduct in office, both misdemeanors.

As explained by Angela Alsobrooks, the county state's attorney, indictment is not a finding of guilt, but rather when a grand jury has determined there is:

• probable cause that a crime occurred; and
• enough evidence to move the issue forward to the next stage of the criminal process.

Here is a timeline of some of the events surrounding the incident:

March 2010: A riot broke out on March 3 following the University of Maryland win over the Duke basketball team. John J. McKenna was one of dozens of students arrested in connection with the riot.

County police charging documents stated that McKenna and another student struck Maryland-National Capital Park Police officers and their horses, which was later denied by park police officers. Charges against McKenna were dropped, as they were for several of the students arrested.

Following the riot, a video of police officers slamming McKenna against a wall and beating him with a nightstick went viral, amongst many other allegations of police brutality that night, The Diamondback reported.

In the video, it does not appear McKenna did anything to provoke the attack. If he said anything to the officers, it's inaudible on the video.

Officers did not file a use-of-force report, claiming injuries McKenna sustained were from the horse.

Three officers were suspended, including Baker and Harrison, WUSA reported.

April 12, 2010:  The video of the beating was turned over to police and investigators, advancing the department's internal investigation of the incident, The Diamondback reported. The county police department later put its investigation on hold once the FBI got involved, Patch reported.

End of June 2010: As reported by The Post, the State’s Attorney’s office reviewed electronic correspondence between high-ranking officials within the PGPD to determine if official commands led to the beating, or if commanders tried to cover up the incident.

Nov. 2, 2010: , replacing Glenn Ivey. She began her own investigation into the incident this year, according to The Washington Post.

Dec. 2, 2010: Patch reported that FBI agents went door-to-door to homes of Prince George’s County Police officers, questioning them about the March 3 incident. PGPD said it provided names of more than 150 officers who were working in College Park the night of the incident.

Feb. 17, 2011: Patch reported that the for the department, which oversees College Park. In a later interview, Velez told Patch that his for the department, though he did not reference this incident specifically.

Sept. 20, 2011: Baker and Harrison were indicted.

The Diamondback reports that the fact officers did not turn in use-of-force documents indicate a cover-up.

Velez reiterated the need to build trust in the PGPD, in order to restore the reputation of the department. He said this at a Tuesday evening briefing between police agency leaders and the College Park Mayor and Council.

Upon the indictments, Chief Mark Magaw of PGPD said in a prepared statement that the department respects the grand jury decision and will continue to collaborate with Alsobrooks. 

“Maintaining the trust of our community is the focus of my administration,” Magaw, said in the statement.