A North Carolina police officer involved in an incident in October has been cleared of any wrongdoing, but new dash camera video has some wondering if excessive force was used.
A pit maneuver stopped Johnnie Williams’ car after a dramatic police chase.
Then, Wilmington police officer Stafford Brister lifts a police K-9 into Williams car. The dash cam video shows the dog attacking him.
However, a grand jury, made up of 15 people, watched this video several times before deciding that the officer didn’t do anything wrong.
District Attorney Ben David said using a grand jury was the only fair way to decide. “I believed it was a close enough legal question that the community should decide whether the use of force was resonable, and I would not rule as a matter of law that it was.” Said David, “I didn’t have the opportunity to raise my hand all the way until the dog got into the car and bite me. It hold on to me. It was at least about 30 or 40 seconds before the guy came and got him off my shoulder.”