The Baltimore City man who made headlines last month when a video obtained by The Examiner showed a police officer striking and slamming the man to the ground while handcuffed the man will not face criminal charges, Baltimore City State?s Attorney decided Friday.
Glen Curry, 53, had been facing charges of heroin possession, trespassing in front of his own apartment and resisting arrest after police arrested him in the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue on Aug. 26.
All charges were dropped because the officer lacked probable cause, said Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for the city state?s attorney.
The incident caught on video by a witness raised questions about police misconduct and use of force.
Police spokesman Matt Jablow defended the officer?s action, praising the officer for taking a “criminal” off the street.
Jablow declined to comment on prosecutors? decision to drop the charges.
However, Burns said the case had no merit.
“The allegations against Mr. Curry were dismissed because they are legally insufficient to proceed,” she said.
“Our investigation revealed that Mr. Curry lived in the area, and there was no suspicious activity that justified stopping him.”
Curry told The Examiner that police stopped him after he was leaving his apartment. Charging documents said Curry was stopped because he was in an area known for drug dealing.
The officer in the video who threw the handcuffed Curry to the ground will not face charges, Burns said.
“After reviewing the digitally enhanced video, we were unable to conclude that a crime occurred, but the matter has been forwarded for review for internal affairs,” she said.
Granville Templeton III, Curry?s attorney, said he was disappointed the officer involved was not charged.
“… We?re saddened that they did not see what clearly appears to be a criminal assault on my client by a city police officer,” Templeton said.
“Hopefully the city police will not push this under the rug, as they have with other cases of police misconduct.”
