Jury Convicts Alabama Officer of Using Excessive Force, Obstructing Justice

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — An Alabama police officer was convicted of excessive use of force and obstruction of justice in assaulting and injuring detainee G.H. and filing a false police report about the incident, the US Department of Justice stated in a press release on Friday.

“A federal jury in Huntsville, Alabama, convicted Huntsville Police Department Officer Brett Russell, 48, of deprivation of rights under color of law for assaulting and injuring G.H., a detainee, as well as obstruction of justice for filing a false police report regarding this incident,” the release read.

In December 2011, Russell yanked G.H. from his vehicle after arresting him, and then punched and kneed the detainee. The officer then wrote and submitted a report, falsely stating that G.H. tried to kick and head butt the officers, omitting any facts that he had used force on the detainee, according to the release.

“The criminal behavior of this officer undermines the dedicated efforts of the vast majority of officers who serve honorably,” Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Chief Vanita Gupta said. “The Justice Department is committed to holding officers who engage in such criminal acts accountable.”

Russell faces up to ten years in prison on the charge of using excessive force and 20 years on the charge of obstructing justice.