PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Two Prince George’s County police officers were indicted Thursday in separate incidents, State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said in an afternoon press conference.
A grand jury indicted officer Bryant Strong on charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office in connection with the October 2019 arrest of Demonte Ward-Blake. Ward-Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down when he landed on his head subsequent to a police takedown maneuver during the arrest.
In that case, police said Ward-Blake resisted officers after being pulled over for expired tags. Police said Ward-Blake kept reaching toward his center console, and that he “elbowed” an officer while being placed in handcuffs. In response, officers performed a takedown on Ward-Blake, during which they say he landed on his neck.
Ward-Blake was rushed to the hospital, where he was discovered to be paralyzed from the waist down from injuries sustained in the impact. He also suffered a broken nose.
“We intend to seek justice on behalf of Mr. Ward-Blake and the community,” Braveboy said. “This was a tragedy. As of right now, we believe Mr. Ward-Blake was paralyzed. This was a tragedy that occurred for him and his family.”
Officer Strong is on paid administrative leave with his police powers suspended, according to a statement from the Prince George's County Police.
“The injuries the suspect suffered are tragic and the entire department’s hearts are heavy regarding the outcome that day," Interim Chief Hector Velez said. "We respect the grand jury's decision and now await the outcome of the criminal trial."
The second officer to be indicted Thursday was Prince George’s County Police Corporal Luis Aponte, who faces charges of theft and misconduct.
According to Braveboy, Aponte was indicted for a scheme from June 11 through July 6, 2019, where he presented himself as a police officer during a second job at Prince George’s County Hospital, despite knowing that his police powers were suspended by the department.
It was, however, a case where the grand jury failed to return an indictment that took up much of Braveboy’s time.
The grand jury did not decide to indict any officers involved in the September 2019 shooting of Leonard Shand. The shooting involved officers from the Hyattsville, Mt. Rainier and Prince George’s County police departments.
“I, like others in the community, wanted answers in this case. It is hurtful when residents see civilians dying – especially when law enforcement is involved,” Braveboy said. “However, our office must examine cases individually and apply the specific facts of the law to each case.”
Braveboy said her office retained the services of use-of-force expert Dr. Tyrone Powers, a former Maryland state trooper and FBI special agent, to review the facts of the case. Powers said Thursday he determined that officers had used all available less-than-lethal options before shooting Shand.
“Dr. Powers determined that the shooting of Mr. Shand was objectively reasonable and consistent with accepted standards of police practices, policies and training,” Braveboy said.
“Please know that the grand jury’s decision not to indict, and the conclusions reached by the independent use-of-force expert does not ease our collective grief, nor does it signal that the response of the officers that day was satisfactory,” she added. “We continue to mourn the lost of Mr. Shand and uplift his family. And we will continue to look for ways to improve law enforcement engagement with our residents.”