The Dallas City Council has
voted to approve a $1.1 million settlement for a man who claims he was beaten
and falsely arrested by a police officer.
Ronald Bernard Jones, 62, spent
15 months in jail following the incident, which led to his being charged with
two felonies -- both later dismissed.
On December 18, 2009, Jones was
stopped by Officer Matthew Antkowiak as he walked down Reunion Boulevard. What
happened next became a matter of dispute between officer Antkowiak's account
and the surveillance footage.
The Dallas Morning News
reports:
A police report stated that
Jones threw a beer can at Antkowiak, which is not seen in the video. The
officer also told investigators that Jones turned around suddenly while he was
frisking him on the squad car hood, so he took him to the ground and engaged in
a struggle.
The officer claimed that he hit
his head hard on the pavement and was disoriented after that, according to the
investigation. He told a sergeant that Jones began to choke him and kicked him
so hard between the legs that he was actually lifted off the ground.
But that's not what
surveillance footage obtained by WFAA showed.
"Had the videos not
surfaced, it's likely that Mr. Jones would have been convicted of this and
served a very long prison sentence," said his attorney, Don Tittle.
According to WFAA, a pair of
dash cam videos show multiple officers holding down Jones, with one kicking him
several times.
Still, police arrested Jones
and charged him with aggravated assault of a public servant and cocaine
possession, both felonies. Those charges, however, were dismissed in 2011.
Antkowiak left the police
department in January 2012. The other officers were cleared.
