Gwinnett County’s solicitor general has dismissed 89 cases worked by a pair of officers fired Thursday for punching and stomping a black motorist following a traffic stop.
Rosanna Szabo said Friday she is dropping all cases in which Robert McDonald or Michael Bongiovanni were either the principal officer or a necessary witness. Sixty-three cases were dismissed in Gwinnett County Recorder’s Court and 26 in Gwinnett County State Court.
All were traffic or misdemeanor or traffic offenses.
McDonald was fired Thursday afternoon after he was captured on a cell phone video kicking a handcuffed man in the head as he lay on the ground. Hours later, a second video surfaced showing Bongiovanni punching that same man. He was fired as well.
“When police officers betray the public’s trust and confidence, justice demands that all those cases that depend on their credibility be dismissed without delay,” said a statement from Szabo’s office.
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