Jason Andersen indicted for kicking teen in the head
Minneapolis cop Jason Andersen has run afoul of the law again. The guy known for shooting Fong Lee in 2006, and temporarily losing his job after assaulting his girlfriend, has now been indicted by a federal grand jury on felony civil rights charges. He's accused of kicking a teenager in the head during an arrest in 2008 while he was a member of the defunct Metro Gang Strike Force.
Jason Andersen
Andersen was charged with one count of willfully depriving a juvenile arrestee of his constitutional right to be free from the unreasonable use of force by a police officer. If convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for this charge.
He was part of a plainclothes detail in Crystal's Becker Park in 2008 when a local police officer got into a scuffle with a teenager over a gang-related argument. The officer wrestled the teenager to the ground; Andersen appeared and began kicking the kid in the head.
Andersen's lawyer says he's innocent.
Anderson was cleared of wrongdoing in the Lee shooting in 2009. He was arrested for domestic assault later that year, but a judge dismissed the case when there wasn't enough evidence for trial. MPD Chief Tim Dolan fired him anyway, citing ethics violations. Andersen got his job back in May. His status has since been in limbo -- and he's being paid while on home assignment -- because of a grievance over drug test requirements.
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