DOJ: No charges against cops involved in arrest of Indianapolis teen

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The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it’s closed its investigation into whether federal criminal civil rights charges should be filed against the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers involved in the arrest of Indianapolis teenager Brandon Johnson. Johnson claimed officers used excessive force while trying to arrest him.

The then-15-year-old suffered wounds to his face and a black eye in the May 2010 incident. Johnson, who is biracial, claimed the four white officers beat him while arresting his brother for breaking and entering. Police claimed Johnson was trying to instigate the crowd that had gathered and he resisted officers when they tried to handcuff him. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office declined to file criminal charges.

According to a release, the justice department reviewed all of the relevant matter in the case, including statements by law enforcement and civilian witnesses and the IMPD Civil Merit Board hearing transcripts, and it determined the evidence was insufficient to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges.

Officials from the justice department’s civil rights division, the U.S. attorney’s office, and the FBI met with Brandon Johnson, his parents, and their representatives to inform them of the decision.
 

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