KANSAS CITY (AP) — Two Kansas City police officers accused of using excessive force while arresting a transgender Black woman have pleaded not guilty to felony assault charges.
Matthew G. Brummett and Charles Prichard entered their pleas Tuesday during an arraignment, The Kansas City Star reported.
The men were initially charged with misdemeanor assault in the May 2019 arrest of Breona Hill. A grand jury that watched a video of the arrest and heard from two new witnesses upgraded the charges to felony assault in May.
Prosecutors allege the officers pinned Hill to the ground, slammed her face into a sidewalk and kneed her several times while she was handcuffed.
The man who recorded the arrest, Roderick Reed, was convicted of a municipal violation for not obeying officers’ commands to move his car from the middle of the street. He was later pardoned by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.
The City Council approved an amendment to the city code in June that ensures witnesses aren’t barred from filming the actions of police officers.