A former police officer pleaded guilty to “pistol-whipping” two people during separate traffic stops one night in June in Hamtramck, Michigan, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
Ryan McInerney, 44, pleaded guilty to using excessive force and violating the civil rights of two arrestees on June 22, 2014, according to the Justice Department (DOJ). One victim sustained broken facial bones from the former officer who broke the teeth of another arrestee.
“Most police officers honorably serve and uphold their mission to protect the citizens of Michigan, but this is a rare example of an officer who has fallen far below his duty,” U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Michigan Matthew Schneider said in a statement. “Officer McInerney abused the power of his badge by violating the civil rights of two Michigan citizens, and for that he deserves federal prison time.”
Former Hamtramck, Michigan Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Charge For Excessive Use of Forcehttps://t.co/Pjc5WwT38k
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) January 8, 2021
McInerney initiated a traffic stop of the first victim and told him to put his hands up as he approached the driver’s side window, according to the DOJ. The victim complied and “without justification” McInerney “pistol-whipped” him several times in the face through the open car window.
The victim “did not present a danger to the defendant, and there was no lawful reason for the pistol-whipping. The strikes caused [the victim] to suffer broken facial bones, among other injuries,” the DOJ said in a statement. (RELATED: Michigan State Capitol Reopened After Evacuation Due To Bomb Threat)
McInerney admitted to falsifying an official report to bury his excessive use of force against the victim and to make sure there wasn’t an investigation into his conduct, according to the DOJ. The same night, McInerney “pistol-whipped” another arrestee, breaking their teeth.
An investigation into the incidents is ongoing and McInerney will be sentenced in April 2021, according to the DOJ. If the court accepts McInerney’s plea agreement he faces a maximum of 36 months in prison.
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