SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle city attorney says the city plans to dismiss an assault charge against a police officer because of new information that has come to light in the case.
The city attorney’s office announced on Wednesday that the decision was made after an outside expert determined Officer James L. Lee acted properly during an arrest inside a convenience store last year.
Lee was charged with fourth-degree assault after he was captured on video repeatedly kicking a teenage suspect. Lee pleaded not guilty in June and had been scheduled to go on trial Jan. 24.
Lee still faces an internal investigation by the Police Department’s Office of Professional Accountability. That investigation was placed on hold when a criminal investigation was opened.
