[FONT="]An officer seen on camera choking former NFL player Desmond Marrow has been fired and prosecutors dropped a felony charge against Marrow, authorities in Georgia announced Thursday.
[/FONT][FONT="]The video of the incident south of Atlanta went viral when it was released last month. The internal investigation at the Henry County Police Department concluded Officer David Rose used "unnecessary force" and Rose was terminated as a result, the agency said in a news release.
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[FONT="]The Henry County District Attorney's Office said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports and other outlets that the obstruction of a law enforcement officer charge against Marrow was dropped. A judge previously dropped the other felony charge, making terrorist threats.
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[FONT="]“We have reviewed the police reports, witness statements, 911 calls, audio and videos, as well as interviewed witnesses, and determined there is insufficient evidence to present any felony charges to a grand jury," District Attorney Darius Pattillo said in a statement.
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[FONT="]The two traffic misdemeanor charges (reckless driving and aggressive driving) were referred to the county's office of the solicitor general, which will decide whether to pursue those charges.
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[FONT="]Two weeks ago, Marrow posted a mobile phone video of his Dec. 2, 2017 arrest. Marrow, who was handcuffed, can be seen taken to the pavement of a parking lot after Marrow allegedly had a dispute with another driver. One of the officers, later identified as Rose, then put one of his hands on Marrow's neck.
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[FONT="]"I can't breathe," a panicked Marrow yelled.
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[FONT="]Henry County police said that the cell phone video didn't show "the level of resistance by Mr. Marrow while officers were arresting him, and the struggle officers encountered while trying to get control of the situation while Mr. Marrow was fighting with those officers."
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[FONT="]The agency also said the actions of the other officers involved were "within departmental policy."
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[FONT="]Rose violated department and county polices on maltreatment/unnecessary force, according to the department. Rose also allegedly was recorded from his on-car camera system saying he was not going to write in his report some of his actions during the arrest.
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[FONT="]Marrow, who played at the University of Toledo, signed with the Houston Texans in 2012 after he went undrafted. He was later signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He never made it into an NFL game. [/FONT]
[/FONT][FONT="]The video of the incident south of Atlanta went viral when it was released last month. The internal investigation at the Henry County Police Department concluded Officer David Rose used "unnecessary force" and Rose was terminated as a result, the agency said in a news release.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Henry County District Attorney's Office said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports and other outlets that the obstruction of a law enforcement officer charge against Marrow was dropped. A judge previously dropped the other felony charge, making terrorist threats.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]“We have reviewed the police reports, witness statements, 911 calls, audio and videos, as well as interviewed witnesses, and determined there is insufficient evidence to present any felony charges to a grand jury," District Attorney Darius Pattillo said in a statement.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The two traffic misdemeanor charges (reckless driving and aggressive driving) were referred to the county's office of the solicitor general, which will decide whether to pursue those charges.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Two weeks ago, Marrow posted a mobile phone video of his Dec. 2, 2017 arrest. Marrow, who was handcuffed, can be seen taken to the pavement of a parking lot after Marrow allegedly had a dispute with another driver. One of the officers, later identified as Rose, then put one of his hands on Marrow's neck.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]"I can't breathe," a panicked Marrow yelled.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Henry County police said that the cell phone video didn't show "the level of resistance by Mr. Marrow while officers were arresting him, and the struggle officers encountered while trying to get control of the situation while Mr. Marrow was fighting with those officers."
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The agency also said the actions of the other officers involved were "within departmental policy."
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Rose violated department and county polices on maltreatment/unnecessary force, according to the department. Rose also allegedly was recorded from his on-car camera system saying he was not going to write in his report some of his actions during the arrest.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Marrow, who played at the University of Toledo, signed with the Houston Texans in 2012 after he went undrafted. He was later signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He never made it into an NFL game. [/FONT]
