UPDATE — CHARLOTTE, NC — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer is in jail after investigators say he assaulted a suspect.
Behind police walls, 30-year-old Terance Malachi faced 28-year-old Officer Jason Van Aken.
Malachi’s hands were cuffed and his feet were shackled. Still, investigators say the officer broke Malachi’s collar bone.
“It’s not right. It’s not,” said DeMarcus Johnson. “You’re supposed to protect and serve. You’re not protecting or serving. You’re hurting.”
Outrage shared even by Chief Deputy Kerr Putney.
“We’re really getting tired of this kind of conversation,” said Chief Deputy Putney. “We really are.”
This year alone, 11 Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers have ended up in the jail right along with the suspected criminals they’re expected to take off the streets.
In Officer Van Aken’s case, he arrested Malachi at a West Charlotte gas station for concealing a gun. As a felon, Malachi isn’t allowed to have a gun.
Police say the situation went too far in the interview room when police say the officer pushed Malachi.
“Pushed him, forcing him back, fell over the chair, hit a cinder block wall, and that’s where we believe the injury, a broken collar bone, where we believe it occurred,” said Chief Deputy Putney.
CMPD won’t release the video from the interview room due to internal review policy. However, WCCB News pointed out it took CMPD a month to arrest the officer despite having that video evidence.
“It should have been noticed quicker at the lower level,” said Chief Deputy Putney. “It should have come to us even quicker, to come to us in the criminal investigation so we could do our work. There was a failure to do that and the people who failed to do it are going to be held accountable.”
So will the action of a few hurt the police force reputation in the community?
“Unfortunately, there’s bad in every situation,” said Helms.
For others like Johnson, “I feel safe by myself and God. That’s it.”
Officer Van Aken faces one count of Assault Inflicting Serious Injury and one count of Simple Assault. Both are misdemeanors. The officer is on unpaid administrative leave.
The department took his badge and his gun while the internal investigation continues.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer has been arrested and charged with assault, after police say the officer pushed a hand-cuffed man into a wall in a police interview room.
Police say the charges against Office Jason Van Aken stem from a criminal investigation launched to determine if Van Aken used excessive force on Terance Malachi, 30, who was in custody for carrying a concealed weapon.
According to detectives, Malachi was handcuffed and shackled in the interview room at the Metro Division office when Officer Van Aken pushed Malachi into a wall. Malachi was treated at the hospital for a broken collarbone.
Officer Van Aken has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and his gun and badge have been removed while an internal investigation continues. He has been a CMPD officer since 2011.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe released a statement: “The CMPD takes the allegations of excessive force seriously and will continue to hold officers who violate their power accountable. At no time will this department tolerate behavior that violates the public’s trust.”
Investigators want to find out if Officer Van Aken is responsible for any other incidents involving possible excessive use of force. Anyone who has information concerning this or any other incident is asked to call CMPD Internal Affairs at 704-366-2336 or Crimestoppers at 704-334-1600.
