Indianapolis officer who kicked handcuffed man in head charged with felonies

by Monique Beals - 10/12/21 8:59 PM ET

A police officer in front of a police car — iStock

An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer was charged with two felonies after kicking a handcuffed man in the head last month, police said.

Sgt. Eric Huxley was charged with official misconduct and battery with moderate bodily injury by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor recommended Huxley be removed from the police force entirely and suspended him without pay, according to a press release from the police department.

“I’m upset,” Taylor said of the incident before showing footage of it at a press conference, according to the Indy Star. “It hurts me to see any of our officers treat someone the way you’re going to see here. There is no excuse for it.”

Assistant Police Chief Chris Bailey tweeted that Huxley’s actions did not reflect the “values or community expectations” of the department.

The sergeant’s actions do not represent @IMPDnews values or community expectations of its police department. My thoughts are with the victim and the officers who do what’s right every day. @IMPD_Chief did the right thing and took swift and certain action. pic.twitter.com/t04eYeTaSP

— Assistant Chief Chris Bailey (@irishsarge) October 12, 2021

On Sept. 24, Huxley arrested Jermaine Vaughn who was “being loud and disorderly,” authorities said.

Body camera footage showed Vaughn was knocked to the ground and pinned on his back before Huxley stomped on his face, according to the Star.

Huxley said “I accidentally kicked him in his face. I was attempting to put my foot on his shoulder, and I accidentally kicked him in his face,” in body camera footage that has not been released yet, the Star reported.

Vaughn was charged with resisting law enforcement and “disorderly conduct – unreasonable noise,” but charges have since been dismissed, the Star also reported.

Two other officers, Sgt. Christopher Kibbey and Officer Matthew Shores, were present at the arrest and placed on administrative leave after the incident.

Taylor said he ordered an internal affairs investigation into the incident when he found out about it via a report filed on Oct. 6, according to the department’s release.

“My hope is that the community understands that when these things come to our attention, we’ll deal with them quickly, get those people off the force,” Taylor said, according to the Star. “Please don’t hold that against our men and women that are doing a great job for you day in and day out.”

The Hill has reached out to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police for more information.

Tags Indianapolis police brutality