An Anne Arundel grand jury indicted a Baltimore police officer for allegedly beating a man unconscious with a metal weapon, according to charging documents.
Melvin Jones, 28, of Perry Hall, was indicted Friday on assault, among other charges, in an Oct. 10 altercation at La Fontaine Bleue in Glen Burnie.
The alleged victim, Charles Smith III, of Halethorpe, wrote in the charging documents that Jones struck him in the head with “a shiny metal object on his hand,” which caused him to lose consciousness.
Smith said Jones then kicked him in the face in front of several witnesses, according to charging documents.
Smith, who could not be reached for comment Friday, sustained swelling to both eyes and lacerations to the back of his head and face requiring a total of 12 stitches, according to charging documents.
The charging documents don’t indicate what prompted the altercation, and Jones declined to comment Friday.
“I can’t talk about that,” Jones said. He declined to give his attorney’s name.
Jones, who is the son of a former Baltimore police officer, is charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and carrying a weapon openly with intent to injure, according to the indictment. The combined charges carry a maximum of 43 years in prison.
Jones hasn’t been terminated from the police force, but is suspended from his duties in accordance with department policy, said Bob Cherry, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3 Baltimore Police Union.
“Our union is standing behind Officer Jones and his version of events that what he did was protecting himself and anyone else around,” Cherry said.
Cherry cautioned that the charging documents were written by Smith, and “there’s two sides to every story.”
He said Jones is a “solid” officer who’s served the police department for seven years.
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