New Video of Assault by Cop Who Police Tried to Arrest But Prosecutor Said Tape Evidence Was "Too Complicated"
On April 1 Mark Maher was assaulted by Enfield, Connecticut, police officer Matthew Worden during an arrest at a boat show. An investigating officer, Lt. Lawrence Curtis, decided the use of force by Worden, which caused multiple injuries to Maher's face and arm, was "neither necessary nor needed," The states' attorney for Hartford, Gail Hardy, an "11-year veteran" of the Division of Criminal Justice when she took the position, rejected the police's warrant application, saying the video, which depicted the brutality, had "many moving parts where it is extremely difficult to keep up with everything that is going on with all parties.
Now, The Courant, which has been following the story and the department, reports that a second video, from the squad car's dashcam, has been revealed. Maher, who is suing for the injuries and psychological distress allegedly caused by Worden, is also fighting charges stemming to the arrest incident. The Courant reports:
Two police videos of the incident, including one that shows Worden hitting Mark Maher, may be played in Superior Court in Enfield Tuesday as Maher tries to get charges of interfering with a police officer thrown out. The second cruiser video recorded the conversation between Worden and Maher. Both videos, which The Courant obtained from one of Maher's attorneys, may be presented as evidence that Maher should not have been arrested.
Watch the video, via The Courant, here.
This morning a court threw out charges against Maher. Worden, who has had 14 internal affairs investigations opened against him in the last seven years, remains un-arrested and on paid leave.
The "police interaction" between Worden and Maher began over Maher smoking a cigarette outside and questioning why another person was being detained.
