By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Baltimore Police Officer Robert Parks has been indicted following a viral video that depicted him attempting to hit a man with his patrol car after a verbal confrontation. Parks has been charged with second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless driving and misconduct in office as a result of the incident.
If found guilty on each charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 65 years. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates announced the officer’s indictment on Nov. 12.
“The charges brought forward in this indictment reflect the serious and dangerous nature of the actions we all witnessed in the video of Officer Parks. These are the same charges we would bring forward for anyone operating a vehicle in this manner,” said Bates in a press statement. “When a police officer threatens the safety of those they are sworn to protect, it erodes the crucial trust between the community and law enforcement that is critical to the historic reductions in violent crime in our city and essential to keeping Baltimore safe.”
According to the indictment, on Oct. 28, Parks used his police cruiser to pursue and repeatedly drive at a man near Wylie Liquors Bar in Baltimore’s Park Heights neighborhood after a brief encounter on the sidewalk. The video of the incident shows Parks accelerating toward the man as he walks away, steering off an alley and into a grassy area as the man tries to avoid being hit. There, Parks strikes the man with his vehicle before continuing the chase through private property and crashing through a fence, ultimately disabling his car.
The following day, Oct. 29, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) announced that an internal affairs investigation had been opened against Parks and his police powers had been suspended. On. Nov. 10, BPD confirmed that Parks was suspended without pay.
In the wake of his indictment, Mayor Brandon M. Scott released a statement, reaffirming his commitment to ensuring Parks is held accountable under the law.
“This officer’s actions were unacceptable, and completely at odds with how we expect our public servants to act. We are thankful to our partners in the State’s Attorney’s office for their work, and will be closely following the outcome of this trial,” Scott said in a Nov. 12 statement. “If convicted, the officer will be fired immediately, in accordance with the law.”
