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Former St. Louis officer accused of assaulting protesters
Source: Associated Press
Former St. Louis officer accused of assaulting protesters
By JIM SALTER
July 17, 2019
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A former St. Louis police officer has been charged with three felony counts of third-degree assault accusing him of pepper-spraying protesters and a videographer in 2017.
Charges were filed Tuesday against William Olsten. Prosecutors said the incident happened in September 2017 outside Busch Stadium during one of many protests that followed the acquittal of Jason Stockley , a white former police officer who had been accused of murder in the death of a black suspect.
Prosecutors reviewed video taken from several cellphones. According to a charging document, tempers flared after an officer used a stun gun on a protester, causing protesters to yell and curse at police.
The charging document said Olsten became visibly angry and began using pepper spray without warning, temporarily blinding three people. The document said the protesters were peaceful and were not arrested.
Two of the alleged victims who were pepper-sprayed are listed as “special victims,” which could increase the potential penalties. Videographer Heather De Mian, who frequently shoots livestream video at police protests, was in a wheelchair. Rasheen Aldridge, a St. Louis Democratic committeeman, has a prosthetic leg.
-snip-
By JIM SALTER
July 17, 2019
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A former St. Louis police officer has been charged with three felony counts of third-degree assault accusing him of pepper-spraying protesters and a videographer in 2017.
Charges were filed Tuesday against William Olsten. Prosecutors said the incident happened in September 2017 outside Busch Stadium during one of many protests that followed the acquittal of Jason Stockley , a white former police officer who had been accused of murder in the death of a black suspect.
Prosecutors reviewed video taken from several cellphones. According to a charging document, tempers flared after an officer used a stun gun on a protester, causing protesters to yell and curse at police.
The charging document said Olsten became visibly angry and began using pepper spray without warning, temporarily blinding three people. The document said the protesters were peaceful and were not arrested.
Two of the alleged victims who were pepper-sprayed are listed as “special victims,” which could increase the potential penalties. Videographer Heather De Mian, who frequently shoots livestream video at police protests, was in a wheelchair. Rasheen Aldridge, a St. Louis Democratic committeeman, has a prosthetic leg.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/ea785d1bfd034a87b6a2e904ba716381