WATCH: A camera was rolling as a Baltimore police officer repeatedly punched a man in public, allegedly knocking him unconscious.
TORONTO – A Baltimore police officer is facing serious charges after he was caught on video June 15 violently assaulting a man – who has since filed a lawsuit against the police department.
Officer Vincent Cosom can be seen in the video throwing huge punches at Kollin Truss’ face. The victim’s girlfriend, Stephanie Coleman, tries to intervene but to no avail.
Cosom now faces second-degree assault and perjury charges.
WATCH: Baltimore cop repeatedly punches suspect before arrest
“The other officers participated. They held his arms back. Our client was knocked unconscious on his feet,” said Tony Garcia, the victim’s attorney. “But before he could fall to the ground, he was struck again.”
Meghan McCorkell, a reporter at CBS Baltimore, claims Cosom is also accused of perjury for allegedly lying on a police report where the officer claimed Truss was the instigator.
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“The police need to understand that the same rules and regulations that are for the citizens are also for them,” another of Truss’ attorneys, Ivan Bates, told WJZ.
Unfortunately the assault on Truss isn’t new to the Baltimore Police Department. Last month, Jamar Kennedy was allegedly beaten with an officer’s baton and tasered. That incident was also caught on camera.
Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts suspended Cosom on September 16.
Baltimore’s mayor has called for a federal Department of Justice investigation into the incident.
“This was something that I take very seriously, something that the commissioner takes very seriously. We were very disappointed,” the mayor said.
According to The Baltimore Sun, Truss’ attorneys filed a $5 million civil lawsuit.
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