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Four officers facing charges in Detroit police brutality cases

Posted at 7:45 AM, Dec 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-21 11:30:47-05

Four police officers are facing charges ranging from assault to murder. Three of them were formally arraigned today.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the charges on Wednesday.

One of the cases involves the death of 15-year-old Damon Grimes. Former Michigan State Police trooper Mark Bessner is set to be charged with second degree murder. He's accused of killing Grimes back in August. The teen was riding an ATV in Detroit and crashed after police say Bessner shot him with a taser for refusing to pull over.

Another case involves Detroit Police officer Richard Billingslea. Billingslea is facing multiple felony assault charges. He was allegedly seen beating and pepper spraying a man in an incident caught on cell phone camera.

The prosecutor also filed charges against Detroit Police officer Lonnie Wade for a violent incident at a Meijer on 8 Mile in October. It was also caught on camera. He was off-duty and working security at the time. 

Wade is charged with assault, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office.