Cop Gets Rare 5 Year Prison Sentence for Beating 15yo Boy to the Point of Hospitalization

Matt Agorist August 28, 2019

Atlanta, GA — Police officers beat people on video, a lot. And, more often than not, the officers will keep their jobs in spite of video evidence of the attack. However, an attack on a teenager by an Atlanta cop was so egregious that it did, in fact, cost him his job. And now, it is costing him his freedom. Officer Matthew Johns was indicted on eight felonies for the savage beating of a 15-year-old boy last year and this week, he was sentenced to 20 years.

As TFTPreportedin October, Johns was indicted on eight felonies, including four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of violation of oath by an officer and two counts of giving false statement for repeatedly kicking and choking a 15-year-old boy until he was unconscious and then lying about it. Johns pleaded guilty on July 10, and was sentenced on Monday to 20 years with five to serve in prison in connection with the 2016 incident.

Fulton County DA @FultonCountyDA

Former Anta Police Officer Matthew Johns was sentenced this evening to 20 years to serve 5.

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3:08 PM - Aug 26, 2019

Disturbing dashcam footage of the beating of the Atlanta teenager showed the brutal actions of former Atlanta police officer Johns. The video shows Johns repeatedly stomp, kick, and punch the teen, Antraveious Payne, who was not at all resisting arrest.

Johns was not supposed to be there that day because he was on a ‘no drive list’ for irresponsibly crashing his cruiser a few weeks prior. However, he was still allowed to check one out, use it to ram another car, and then savagely beat a teen and lie about the entire ordeal.

As WSB-TVreported at the time:

It all unfolded on Sept. 15, 2016, in southwest Atlanta. Former officer Matthew Johns, who was a part of the department’s elite Apex Unit, arrived at the scene after the pursuit led by Zone 3 officers and Georgia State Patrol.

Johns, who we’ve learned is also a Marine, is seen jumping out of a cruiser and immediately runs up to one of the three teenage suspects in the stolen car and kicks him in the head.

The video also shows he kicked the teen more than once, struck him on his side repeatedly and then was seen kneeling on his neck before punching him in the head while cuffing him.

Johns told investigators he thought the teen was reaching for a gun. But one of his supervisors didn’t think his story added up, especially when the other officers on scene said the three suspects never resisted.

Prosecutors, using the video of the incident, agreed, noting that Payne got out of the car and laid on the ground with his hands up, showing he did not have a weapon and was willing to surrender.

Nevertheless, Johns still beat the hell out of him until the teen fell unconscious. Payne was beaten so badly by Johns that he was hospitalized with a concussion and suffered multiple lacerations to his face.

According to the report, after the incident, Johns was placed on administrative leave and no action was taken until a new police chief took office and reopened the case.

Johns was then fired. However, for beating a compliant suspect for no reason, he faced no criminal charges—until more than a year later.

Payne was in a stolen a car. He deserved due process and to be to be held accountable for his actions. However, because of Johns’ inability to resist violently lashing out, this teen’s alleged car theft will now end up costing the taxpayers of Atlanta in the likely lawsuit that will follow.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard noted that this is what is supposed to happen to cops who betray their oaths and act like Johns.

“There were no demonstrations or marches by concerned citizens, no chants or any destruction of property,” Howard previously said about the case. “It was not necessary because the criminal justice system did exactly what concerned citizens demand of it; fairness, transparency and action.”

Sadly, especially in Atlanta, this is a very rare case and most cops are not sent to prison.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/atlanta-cop-sentenced-5-years/