EL CAJON, Calif. -– A Southern California police officer who was fired last year was acquitted Friday of a felony count of filing a false police report in connection with a high-profile arrest of a black man near the Grossmont Transit Center in La Mesa.
Former La Mesa police officer Matthew Dages who is white was accused of lying about the basis of his May 27, 2020, arrest of Amaurie Johnson. The controversy sparked local protests when a video of the arrest became public, FOX 5 San Diego reported.
Months after the arrest, Dages was terminated by the La Mesa Police Department. The former officer faced three years in jail had he been convicted.
According to testimony, Dages was ordered by his superiors to revise the report multiple times, which Dages’ attorneys alleged bolstered the report’s authenticity.
Prosecutors alleged that Dages lied about material facts in the report.
Johnson was ultimately arrested on suspicion of assault on an officer, and resisting, delaying and obstructing an officer, and was released on a misdemeanor citation.
Videos of the incident show Dages pushing Johnson into a seated position and pushing him down again after Johnson stood up.
The police department later announced it would not be seeking charges against Johnson, who has filed a federal lawsuit against the former officer and the City of La Mesa.
The El Cajon jury found Dages not guilty after deliberating for little more than a day, FOX 5 reported.
Johnson’s arrest occurred two days after the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and days after his arrest. A protest held at La Mesa Police Department devolved into mass looting and rioting.
