St Louis cops arrest protesters on Sept 17 using the controversial ‘Kettling’ technique of herding the targets into and area and blocking off all exits

After learning that the person they attacked was an undercover officer, the three male officers lied about the arrest, claiming the man resisted arrest and was not compliant, the indictment says. They also tried to contact the undercover officer to dissuade him from pursuing disciplinary or legal action, the indictment says.
The undercover officer is identified only by the initials “L.H.” The age, gender and initials match only one officer: Luther Hall. Hall was working undercover aiding other officers in identifying criminal activity, sources said.
At the time of the assault, police sources said Hall suffered a bloody lip during his arrest.

But sources close to Hall said Thursday that injuries from the assault were much more extensive. He has not been able to return to work.
Hall was kicked in the face, which inflamed his jaw muscles to the point where he could not eat. He went from about 185 pounds to 165.
The cut above his lip was a 2-centimeter hole that went through his face.
He also sustained an injury to his tailbone, which still causes him pain, the sources said.

And in October, he underwent surgery to repair two herniated discs in his neck and one in his back. He is still wearing a collar to keep his neck immobile.
Myers destroyed Hall’s cellphone with the intent to obstruct any subsequent investigation, sources said, and Boone, Hays and Myers obstructed justice by conspiring to prevent information about the beating from reaching federal investigators.
olletta and Hays were in a romantic relationship at the time of the incident and investigation, the indictment says.

St Louis cops mass up to handle protesters on Sept 17

Officers Bailey Colletta and Randy Hayes make their court appearance in St Louis on Nov 30 2018. The pair allegedly were in a romantic relationship at the time

Colletta initially denied knowing Hall and denied that she had ever come into contact with him on the night of his arrest, the indictment says, and lied when saying he was “brought to the ground very gently.”
The indictment says the officers exchanged a series of messages during the days of protest duty.
In one Sept. 15, 2017, message, Myers writes “let’s whoop some ass.”
On Oct. 5, 2017, Hays writes “going rogue does feel good.”
Boone later replies that “it’s gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of these (expletive) once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart!!!!” On Sept. 17, he wrote that it was “a blast beating people that deserve it.”

Boone, 36, Hays, 32, and Myers, 28, all face charges of depriving Hall of his constitutional rights and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Myers also faces a charge of destruction of evidence relating to the cellphone, and Colletta, 26, faces a charge of attempting to obstruct grand jury proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen declined to comment, saying he would not make any statements outside of a news release announcing the charges.
St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards, who called the officers “outliers” in a statement, said the four officers have been suspended without pay from the police force.
In his own statement, Police Chief John Hayden said police sought the FBI’s help after learning about the allegations involving Hall.
“I am deeply disappointed in the alleged actions of these individual officers; however, it is in no way reflective of the hard work and dedication exhibited by the men and women of our Department who serve the community on a daily basis with integrity and honor,” his statement says.
Hayden said Hays had eight years with the department, Myers had three, Boone had two and Colletta, 18 months.
The officers could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, although recommended federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for much less prison time.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and O’Toole were among the officials who asked the U.S. attorney’s office to investigate less than two weeks later.
The mass arrest prompted criticism by a federal judge and a series of federal lawsuits alleging that police violated arrestees’ Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to be free from unlawful seizure and their First Amendment rights to assemble in public and express their views free from retaliation.
After the indictments were announced, Tony Rothert, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, wrote that “there has still been no real accountability for the individual officers who engaged in the same behavior toward protesters. St. Louis officials must address this rampant lawlessness by its police.”
“We expect professionalism from every City employee,” Krewson said in a statement. “No exceptions. The charges brought against these officers today do not reflect the standards we hold ourselves to as public servants.”
Police have also said multiple officers have been injured by rocks and bottles thrown by protesters on various occasions.
“In a few instances, some officers have fallen short of the professionalism required to work in our Police Department,” Edwards said in a statement. “I take accountability and transparency very seriously. When a public safety employee acts outside the scope of their authority, it is imperative that they be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Hall was not a member of the Ethical Society of Police, a police association which represents primarily black officers.
But the organization’s community liaison, the Rev. Darryl Gray, said the group has been calling on the department to investigate the assault ever since it happened.
“Anytime we have police officers who are labeled as rogue officers, other officers need to know there is accountability and there are consequences to police officers who think they’re above the law or try to hide their own viciousness and hatred behind the badge and under the cover of darkness,” Gray said.