There’s little way to argue that upstanding individuals who serve as first responders should receive the most support possible.
Likewise, any first responder who violates the law needs to be held accountable.
The issue at hand is many thin blue line supporters feel that every first responder is beyond reproach and incapable of doing wrong.
A breaking story out of Atlanta has thin blue line supporters up in arms that a cop could be sent to prison for committing a crime.
A glance at social media proves that some cop-supporters are so blinded by unwavering support that they’re willing to disregard justice to make sure police officers receive unfairly-earned reverence.
It’s appalling, really – especially when you look at how people could continue to support a police officer who beat a teenager close to death.
An Atlanta-area court found Matthew Johns, a 33-year-old officer with the Atlanta police department, guilty of “three counts of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated assault/strangulation, two counts of making a false statement and two counts of violating oath of office” for attacking a suspect back in 2016.
The incident unfolded like your average high-speed chase.
On Sept 15, 2016, Johns and his fellow officers initiated pursuit on a stolen BMW south on I-75.
And like most high-speed chases, the pursuit ended when a skilled Georgia state trooper disabled the car by ramming it from behind.
After the car came to a stop, one of the passengers immediately exited the vehicle. The passenger, Antraveious Payne, proceeded to lay on the ground and held his hands up to indicate he was unarmed and willing to surrender.
His decision almost proved fatal.
Here’s where everything spiraled out of control.
Rather than place a knee in Payne’s back and handcuff him, Johns began to assault the compliant teen viscously.
Here’s what The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about the incident:
“Johns, who had been with the department for nine years, ran toward Payne and kicked him in the head three times before pressing his knee into the teen’s neck, rendering him unconscious, authorities said.
Payne suffered a number of cuts and bruises, a neck strain and a serious concussion during the arrest, prosecutors said. The incident was captured on officers’ dashboard cameras.
Johns told investigators he thought Payne was reaching for a gun, but the other officers on scene said the three suspects never resisted, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The teen suffered a concussion after being assaulted by a former Atlanta police officer in 2016.”
Following the attack, the police department placed Johns on administrative leave.
Shortly after, fellow officers present on the scene reviewed bodycam footage of the attack and agreed to testify against him, according to Paul Howard, Fulton County District Attorney.
It took two years to indict Johns, which in and of itself is a miscarriage of justice if there ever was one.
Make no mistake, Payne’s criminal actions were indefensible, and he deserved the sentence the courts handed down to him.
But Johns’ actions were uncalled for and could have seriously harmed Payne.
Johns’ defense tried to use PTSD as a scapegoat for his actions, claiming his service in the military caused him to react differently than the other officers and argued the charges against him were unwarranted.
Which brings up a counterpoint.
Do we really need men and women on a hairline trigger serving in high-stress jobs where the lives of the innocent and the guilty are on the line?
While a different topic for another time, ultimately, it’s satisfying to see a police officer receive the consequences he deserves.
There are far too many stories of cops acting out of line and harming or killing someone, then walking away scot-free.
Here in this sad case, at least justice ruled the day.