SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - A veteran Somerville police officer accused of pepper-spraying a handcuffed man last year faced a judge on Friday.
Michael McGrath pleaded not guilty in Cambridge District Court to charges including assault and battery by means of dangerous weapon in connection with a disturbance at a home in Somerville on Oct. 1, 2019.
Prosecutors say McGrath pepper-sprayed a man who had been taken into custody, even though he did not pose a threat.
An incident report filed by McGrath stated that the suspect resisted arrest but video from a police transport vehicle showed the victim being sprayed while already in restraints, according to authorities.
Surveillance video released by the city shows officers backing away from McGrath as he sprays the suspect and pushes him into the vehicle before slamming the door.
Inside the van, the suspect can be seen handcuffed and visibly in distress after being pepper-sprayed. After several minutes, he slumps down and rests his face on the floor of the vehicle.
McGrath was initially placed on paid administrative leave but his pay was revoked after investigators reviewed the video and filed charges in connection with the incident in September.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone says he was angered by what he witnessed in the video.
“I was angry and I was disgusted,” Curtatone said. “It was another, like, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Curtatone added he and the Somerville police chief are in agreement that McGrath’s alleged actions are “unacceptable.”
McGrath’s attorney told 7NEWS that his client has a “great record of service” and that he has not received a copy of the surveillance video.
McGrath, who was released on personal recognizance, is due back in court in January.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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