Officers face 2 more misdemeanours stemming from protests

Two Virginia police officers face more misdemeanour charges related to their actions during May protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Richmond police detectives Mark Janowski and Christopher Brown were each charged with two more misdemeanour counts of assault and battery on Monday, building on a previous count of each charge, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.Richmond Commonwealths Attorney Colette McEachin confirmed the additional indictments but declined to provide further comment.

Two Virginia police officers face more misdemeanour charges related to their actions during May protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Richmond police detectives Mark Janowski and Christopher Brown were each charged with two more misdemeanour counts of assault and battery on Monday, building on a previous count of each charge, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin confirmed the additional indictments but declined to provide further comment. Authorities have released no details about what they allegedly did to merit the charges on May 31, during the second night of Black Lives Matter protests in Richmond. The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Janowski, 34, has been with the department since 2014 and Brown, 28, joined in 2015. In Richmond, protesters have raised various concerns over how police have responded to demonstrations.

In July, McEachin's office cleared Richmond police of wrongdoing after reviewing five civil complaints. The office had investigated whether an officer deliberately drove a vehicle through a crowd of protesters in June and whether an officer spat on a protester.