By Police1 Staff
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Providence detective has been indicted on charges that he assaulted a restrained man with a flashlight.
According to the Associated Press, Detective Robert DeCarlo was charged with assult with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor simple assault during the arrest of Luis Mendonca on October 20, 2009.
A Providence County grand jury indicted the officer on grounds that he struck the handcuffed suspect, an incident caught on surveillance video.
The surveillance video shows officers dragging Mendonca from under a parked car, and then shows DeCarlo kicking Mendonca and hitting him in the head with a flashlight.
According to the Providence Journal, Mendonca was charged with assaulting security officers in the October incident, but he is appealing his convictions.
DeCarlo’s lawyer claims the video is grainy and misleading, and according to the Providence Journal, DeCarlo’s lawyer claims that the officer has an impeccable record and no history of assaultive behavior. DeCarlo has been assigned desk duty during the investigation.