TX: Three Dallas cops indicted over beating

Three former Dallas police officers were indicted Thursday on charges related to a videotaped chase and beating of a motorcyclist, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said.

Patrol car dashboard camera video, released by Chief David Brown earlier, showed officers hitting the suspect. "We want to reiterate to the public that we have a world class police department here in Dallas," Watkins said. "These three officers are the exception and not the rule."

Watkins said that Paul Bauer, Kevin Randolph and Henry Duetsch, who have since been fired, were indicted by a Dallas County grand jury. In a statement Thursday, Brown said the indictments are "another step in the process of bringing this incident to a conclusion."

Randolph and Bauer are accused of striking 28-year-old Andrew Collins after a chase, while Duetsch is accused of turning the in-car video away from Collins and the officers.

Bauer was indicted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public servant, assault and official oppression. He faces up to 99 years in prison.

Randolph was indicted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public servant, official oppression and tampering with a governmental record. He also faces up to 99 years in prison.

Duetsch was indicted on a charge of tampering with physical evidence and faces up to 10 years in prison.

Watkins also said Thursday that police have dropped all charges against Collins, who suffered bruising and blood clots following the Sept. 5 beating. Watkins said Collins had initially been charged with evading arrest, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.

The incident began when Randolph and Bauer saw Collins, who has an extensive criminal record, riding a motorcycle on a sidewalk. Police tried to pull him over, but the video shows Collins repeatedly allowed police to close in before he sped away. On the video, an officer can be heard saying he planned to "beat the (expletive)" out of Collins when they pulled him over.

After Bauer was told by the sergeant-on-duty not to get into a high-speed chase, Bauer continued to follow Collins and even went the wrong way down a street at a high rate of speed, the district attorney's office said.

The district attorney's office said that after Bauer and Randolph spotted Collins sitting on his motorcycle, Bauer struck the motorcycle with his patrol car and Collins went onto the ground on all-fours.

The DA's office said that while Collins was on the ground, Randolph struck him with a baton and Bauer struck Collins with his hands and knee. It said Randolph also struck Collins while Bauer put hand restraints on him. The district attorney's office said that Duetsch, while whistling, turned the in-car video away from Collins and the other officers.

Police have said that 22 officers responded to the scene, but the incident became known only after an officer left an anonymous note for a supervisor suggesting someone look at the recordings.

Collins' criminal record includes convictions on drug, weapons and drunken driving charges, according to Texas Department of Public Safety records. Five of his previous eight arrests were by Dallas police.

FBI spokesman Mark White said that Dallas police notified them when the incident occurred, but the FBI would not comment on whether they are investigating.

Original report here



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