Photo: Getty Images
An Oregon police officer has apologized for hitting a photographer in the head with a baton during 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd.
According to theGrio, a video apology came from Portland Police Bureau Officer Corey Budworth after prosecutors dropped his misdemeanor assault charge in relation to the 2020 incident where he hit photographer Teri Jacobs.
Budworth said he met with Jacobs through a restorative justice system and apologized for the incident.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Jacobs, for unnecessarily hitting you in the head with my baton,” Budworth said in his video apology. “I understand the harm that was caused was not limited to Ms. Jacobs and was felt by others in the community when there was a great distrust of law enforcement.”
At the time of the incident, Budworth was a member of the Portland Police Bureau’s Rapid Response Team, which responded to protests. Video showed the officer knocked Jacobs down and hit her multiple times in the back of the head with a baton.
Jacobs filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Portland that was later settled for $50,000.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to tell him directly how his actions have affected me and continue to affect me through the restorative justice process,” Jacobs said in a statement. “Although it can’t change what happened to me that night, he admitted that his actions were wrong and pledged to do better himself, as well as facilitate changes in the PPB that would help prevent this type of police brutality from happening in the future.”
Budworth was placed on leave in June 2021 but is now expected to return to duty since the criminal case against him has been resolved.
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