A suburban St. Louis police officer charged with assault and kidnapping for allegedly beating a man until his jaw broke was arrested Monday, St. Louis County police said.
The charges stem from a July 4 arrest that Northwoods officer Samuel Davis made without informing dispatchers or writing a report, according to the probable cause statement.
St. Louis County police said Davis, 26, handcuffed a man, then turned off his own body camera before driving him to a secluded spot outside the north St. Louis town. Davis then pepper-sprayed the man, beat him with a baton and told him not to return to Northwoods.
NBC affiliate KSDK reports a woman noticed a Northwoods police car parked in a field and saw the officer standing over a man. After the officer left, the woman walked over and saw the victim battered and bloodied, and called 911. She said the man told her the officer had beaten him. The woman then took a photo of the victim and posted it to Facebook, which sparked outrage and led to the launch of an investigation.
Police said the victim's jaw was broken, among other serious injuries.
Michelle Smith, a local activist, told KSDK she credits the woman's social media post for "pushing everything forward," adding that the witness "obviously had the foresight to understand that something was amiss."
St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell issued a warrant for Davis' arrest Friday, and police arrested him Monday in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
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“These actions put a black eye on all law enforcement officer who are doing their jobs the right way and who are tired of their profession being dragged through the mud because of the bad actions of a few," Bell said in a statement.
St. Louis County police said Davis is being extradited to St. Louis, where he will be held on a $750,000 cash-only bond.
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Online court records did not list an attorney for Davis as of Monday.
Northwoods police Chief Dennis Shireff told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Davis has been suspended as the investigation plays out. Shireff in a statement provided to The Associated Press said it's “crucial” that he side with prosecutors' findings “unless I come across clear and undeniable evidence that contradicts their conclusions.”
