Delaware Jury Acquitted A White Dover Police Officer Of Assault, After He Kicked A Black Suspect In The Head & Broke His Jaw!

DOVER, Del. --
A white police officer who kicked a black suspect in the head and broke his jaw was acquitted of assault Tuesday by a Delaware jury.

Jurors deliberated for about 16 hours over three days before acquitting Dover police Cpl. Thomas Webster IV of felony assault. They also declined to convict Webster on the lesser charge of misdemeanor assault.

"This obviously was a thoughtful verdict. I hope we can all move on from this," said defense attorney James Liguori, who hugged Webster after the verdict.

Webster quickly left the courthouse through a side entrance, avoiding reporters.

Webster, 42, testified that he didn't intend to kick Lateef Dickerson in the head in the August 2013 encounter and was instead was aiming for his upper body. Webster also said he feared for his safety and the safety of others because officers were told Dickerson was armed with a gun, and Dickerson was slow to comply with repeated commands to get on the ground.

Dashboard camera video from another officer's vehicle shows Dickerson had placed his hands on the ground but wasn't fully prone when Webster kicked him.

Prosecutors argued that Dickerson was not a threat when Webster kicked him, and that the officer acted recklessly and used excessive force.

"I hope in some small way, at least, this is a general deterrent," deputy attorney general Mark Denney Jr. said after the verdict. "We hope that police officers see that if there's a situation where the state feels that they've broken the law, they're going to be held to account."

Liguori has said Webster's indictment was the result of "state machinations" and an "abuse of power."

Posted By Abdul