NC: CMPD Internal Affairs investigating alleged beating

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department says it is investigation allegations concerning police misconduct, after a suspect and officer exchanged gunfire over the weekend. Both men were wounded.

Several neighbors in the Camp Greene neighborhood of west Charlotte say they witnessed police officers beating the suspect after he was arrested and in handcuffs on the ground.

"I seen them hitting him, hitting him, hitting him," said Wade Miller who lives a few feet from where the incident occurred on Garibaldi Avenue.

Malcolm Springs was arrested Saturday night and transported to the hospital. Police say earlier that night, Springs was involved in an armed robbery and shooting at a nearby gas station on West Trade Street.

Police say they tracked his car to the Camp Greene neighborhood where Springs jumped and ran. They chased him to Garibaldi Avenue where police say Springs fired his gun at an officer and the officer fired back.

Miller says CMPD Internal Affairs was interviewing witnesses in the neighborhood Monday concerning the beating allegations.

Springs' mother, Debra Walls, says she just wants to make sure justice is served. "If he's responsible for any of these things, he's gonna go through the system, and he's gonna have to be held accountable for that," said Walls.

She said if police crossed the line, they need to be held accountable too. "They took it too far. he was detained. He was detained," she said.

Neighbors on Garibaldi Avenue say they want answers, too. Miller said he understand the adrenaline and emotion officers may have been feeling that night, knowing one of their own had been shot -- but he questions what happened after the arrest. "I didn't see the man move or nothing," he said.

CMPD released this statement Tuesday: An Internal Affairs investigation began immediately after the shooting involving Officer Harrison and the arrest of Mr. Springs. This is standard procedure for any case in which an officer fires his service weapon or when an officer uses force to make an arrest. In an effort to preserve the trust and confidence of the community, the CMPD investigates all accusations of officer misconduct. This investigation will be no different than any other internal affairs investigation.

Original report here




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