An officer with the Baltimore Police Department was convicted on Tuesday of second-degree assault for tackling a teen and striking him with his TASER during a 2016 confrontation.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Officer Carlos Rivera-Martinez is now facing dismissal from the department.
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement, "This defendant abused his power and victimized this young person after he complied with the officers. I am pleased a jury has held him accountable for his actions, and he will have to face the consequences for his behavior."
The Baltimore City FOP had a different opinion of the verdict.
The organization said in a written statement that they see the decision as "even more evidence that, despite our best efforts, we continue to work in an environment that is increasingly anti-police, enforced by a judicial system that feels compelled to strike out at our good work. As a result, Baltimore has become a murderous city that is recognized, nationally, not for our efforts to improve, but rather for our continued fall into the abyss of anarchy and lawlessness."
The statement continued, "Those who sit in judgement of us believe that murderers can be changed with hugs and prayers. They refuse to see that police work and the use of force can be ugly, but necessary, at times."
