On Thursday, the Department of Justice released the news that four St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the assault of an undercover police officer during protests on Sept. 17, 2017, after the acquittal of a St. Louis police officer who had been charged with murder. The four officers—Dustin Boone, Bailey Colletta, Randy Hays, and Christopher Myers—were indicted on four counts, one of “willfully violating” the undercover officer’s constitutional rights, and three others stemming from their alleged attempts to cover up the whole affair.
Count One carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Counts Two, Three, and Four each carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison. All four counts carry a maximum fine of $250,000.
On September 15, 2017, St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley was acquitted of first-degree murder charges in the death of a black man named Anthony Lamar Smith. In 2011, Stockley and another officer drove up to Smith’s car in a parking lot, and Stockley got out of the police car “wielding what state prosecutors later said was his ‘personal’ unsanctioned Draco AK-47 rifle.” Smith proceeded to drive away and lead Stockley on a high-speed chase, ending when Stockley and his partner rear-ended Smith’s car and then opened fire—reportedly firing the kill shot from less than a foot away from Smith’s head. Prosectors subsequently alleged that Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car at the scene. Stockley was also recorded during the pursuit of Smith saying he was “going to kill this motherf****r.”
When Stockley was acquitted of the charges, people knew that protestors would hit the streets. The incident in question took place during a protest two days after the verdict. The Associated Press reports that Boone, Hays, and Myers are accused of actually assaulting the 22-year veteran officer, called “L.H.” in the court documents, while Colletta is accused of helping to cover up the crime.
The indictment accused Boone, Hays and Myers of throwing L.H. to the ground, and kicking and striking the undercover officer, using a police baton. They didn’t know at the time that the person was an undercover officer, according to the indictment.
Boone, Hays and Myers conspired to obstruct justice by trying to prevent information about the attack from reaching federal authorities, the indictment said. Myers was accused of destroying L.H’s cellphone as part of the obstruction.
Included in the report are text messages between the officers about their intent to do harm to protesters. According to the Washington Post, Officer Dustin Boone texted the other officers about how excited he was feeling.
“It’s gonna get IGNORANT tonight!!” he texted on Sept. 15, 2017, the day of the verdict. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of these s---heads once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart!!!!”
This is exactly the opposite sentiment a police officer faced with a justifiably frustrated public should have. Jason Stockley left the St. Louis Police Department in 2013, moving to Texas to work at an oil-drilling firm.