Polk State Attorney: No criminal charges recommended against officers involved in Antwan Glover’s arrest
In January, Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor assigned four of his officers to modified duties following a series of complaints of police brutality.
LECKLAND, Florida — Citing an independent investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Polk County Attorney’s Office said it would not recommend prosecution of the four officers accused of using excessive force.
In January, Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor assigned four of his officers to modified duties following a series of complaints of police brutality.
Six months later, the state’s attorney’s office said the allegations were unsubstantiated.
“It’s very discouraging that an issue of such importance is only being decided because of a lack of honesty,” said Pastor Clayton Cowart, a social activist who has strongly criticized the decision.
Community leaders say they are not just disappointed, they are puzzled by a letter from State Attorney Brian Haas outlining his decision not to recommend criminal charges against the officers.
Particularly, Cowart says, in light of the video footage filmed by witnesses of multiple incidents involving the same officers.
“For me, it’s almost like you’re saying, ‘Are you going to believe me or are you lying to your eyes?’,” Cowart said. “I mean, look at the cameras. The cameras clearly show what happened. This is, of course, wrong and illegal. And it’s discouraging.”
In January, Taylor viewed a video filmed last December of four police officers.
The footage shows a man named Antoine Glover lying on the ground with his hands folded at the sides of his head, while the police began to beat him repeatedly with their fists.
“His hands are up. He’s in a bind,” Cowart said. “And you’re still hitting him in the head. If he was a threat at any moment, he was not a threat when he was on the ground.”
In a letter to Taylor, the state’s attorney’s office points to an independent FDLE investigation and interviews with other officers who said you don’t see in the video that Glover had previously headlocked the officer and then resisted arrest.
These are allegations that Glover has repeatedly denied.
Critics of the state attorney’s decision want to know what video evidence the FDLE had in mind, as the police department said the officers involved in Glover’s arrest did not have body cameras.
“We asked for information that they claim they have,” Cowart said. But no one has ever given it to us.
The police department is conducting its own internal investigation.
In a statement, Taylor said the four officers will remain in modified positions at least until this investigation is completed.
Community activists say the federal investigation is still ongoing and that Glover is suing the department, alleging his civil rights have been violated.
