A local prosecutor announced on Friday he would not seek criminal charges against a Seattle police officer who was shown on video throwing a bone-breaking punch at a woman who was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg (pictured above), whose office handles felony cases in the area, said he would not seek a felony charge against officer Adley Shepherd, 38, according to the Seattle Times newspaper.
Satterberg declined to file charges despite the urging of Seattle’s city attorney, whose office said the punch “undoubtedly met the felony standard,” the newspaper reported. The city attorney’s office, however, has no jurisdiction to handle felony cases, according to the Times.
The punch in question reportedly took place in June when Shepherd was responding to a domestic violence call.
At the scene, according to media reports, the officer arrested the woman, Miyekko Durden-Bosley, 23, who was allegedly intoxicated and acting belligerently, and attempted to put her in the back of a patrol car.
Video released by the Seattle Police Department showed the arrest and the struggle that ensued. The video appeared to show the woman trying to kick the officer, and then showed the officer responding with a punch.
The Seattle Times reported that the punch resulted in a fracturing of the orbit of Durden-Bosley’s right eye. Medical records later showed the officer sustained “no obvious injury,” and it was unclear whether the woman’s kick had even connected with him, according to the newspaper.
Despite the prosecutor’s decision on Friday, the case is set to be reviewed by the U.S. Justice Department for any possible civil rights violations, according to the Times.
Watch video of the incident below:
