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Female cop prosecuted for baton attack

A Swedish female police officer, accused of beating a drunken man and setting her dog on him, is being prosecuted for assault after the incident was captured on film.

Female cop prosecuted for baton attack

The woman, who denies the charge, was filmed lashing out at the man using her baton an estimated 14 times. Her police dog also got involved and pounced on the man who later fell to his knees and yelled "are you totally stupid or what?" at the officer.

"I have made the decision (to prosecute) because I objectively think we have the foundations for a conviction for either assault or professional misconduct," said prosecutor Mats Åhlund to newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

The incident occurred on a Friday night in July central in Stockholm. Police were dispatched to the scene after a man was suspected of assault.

Newspaper Dagens Nyheter published the eyewitness video which became a key part of the probe. In the video the drunk man squabbles with the police officer before she strikes him repeatedly with the baton as she urges him to lie down.

Eventually the man falls to his knees and the officer orders the dog to sit down before she puts her baton away. The police officer speaks into her command saying that the man "threatened to blow up the street."

"I didn't say that I would blow up the street, I said someone would," the victim was heard muttering in the video clip on the DN website.

As a result of the incident the drunken man was left with cuts and bruises from the baton strikes and dog bites.

Prosecutor Åhlund added that the violence "under the circumstances was not justified."

The female police officer was taken off her patrol post in the city and was transferred to another role in the force.

"Now she is training other officers in dog training which she will continue doing until this matter is resolved," said Mats Löfving, commissioner of the the county police.

A date for the trial has yet to be determined.

The Local/pr

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