DeKalb officers charged in beating of suspect

By April Hunt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two DeKalb County police officers face felony charges after allegedly attacking a handcuffed teen suspect in their custody Tuesday afternoon.

DeKalb County Police Arthur Parker

DeKalb County Police Blake Norwood

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Chief William O’Brien announced the arrest of Officers Blake Andrew Norwood and Arthur Parker Wednesday morning, just hours after they had been charged with “punching and kicking” burglary suspect Travarrius Williams, 18.

Other officers had arrested Williams Tuesday afternoon for allegedly breaking into a home in south DeKalb, which has experienced a rash of burglaries lately.

“Obviously, this is embarrassing to the police department,” O’Brien said. “But you can see by our actions we’ve acted very swiftly to say we will not condone this kind of activity.”

O’Brien said the attack happened after Williams spat in the officers' faces when Norwood and Parker were assigned to take him to the county jail. The officers responded by putting Williams in their patrol car and driving him behind a garage at the South Precinct on Candler Road, where no one could see they were beating him, the chief said.

A fellow patrol officer put a stop to the attack after hearing the scuffle and thinking officers were in danger, he said. That officer, who police are not naming, immediately reported the incident to his commander.

“I would thank that officer for responding quickly so we could address this,” DeKalb Chief Executive Burrell Ellis said. “These actions are not reflective of this department as a whole.”

Norwood and Parker face misdemeanor battery charges and felony charges for violating their oaths of office. Both men have been released on $1,000 bail from the county jail.

The officers, both three-year veterans of the department, are suspended with pay while an internal investigation is ongoing.

Williams was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and released with bruised ribs. He was not seriously injured.

Police spokesman Mekka Parish said charges remain pending against Williams, though there was no record of him at the county jail Wednesday.

“We could have made a good case go bad,” O’Brien said. “It tarnishes not only our police department but law enforcement in general.”