INDIANAPOLIS — The attorney representing two Indianapolis police officers charged for their arrests of two female protesters says his clients didn’t do anything wrong.
“These charges are yet another example of recent attempts to feed the apparent appetite of a small segment of the public that is craving societal division and chaos,” Attorney John Kautzman said in a press conference Thursday. “Make no mistake, they’ve been charged with felonies in trying to do their job the way they were trained to do it. These officers took action that is consistent with their police training and procedures, and more importantly, consistent with the law.”
IMPD officers Johnathan Horlock and Nathaniel Schauwecker were indicted last week by a Marion County grand jury after an investigation into a use-of-force incident that occurred during downtown Indianapolis protests on May 31. The arrests were captured on video and went viral on social media, which showed the officers hitting one of the women with batons and pepper balls, and shoving another to the ground.
Horlock was indicted on charges including felony battery, felony perjury, felony obstruction of justice and felony official misconduct. Schauwecker was indicted on charges including felony battery and two counts of felony official misconduct.
Kautzman says they look forward to a “full and fair trial.”
