Dwight Harris, the man who was videotaped being forced from his wheelchair and bloodied by Metro Transit Police along U Street in May, was supposed to appear before a judge on Friday on misdemeanor assault charges. That won’t be necessary now, though: all criminal charges against Harris have been dropped.
According to court documents, the charges against Harris were dropped on May 24. Harris had been indicted on May 21, pleading not guilty on charges of Assault On A Police Officer and Possession of Open Container of Alcohol/Public Intoxication.
Now, the legal focus of the incident turns to the two police officers who aggressively restrained Harris on that day last month. Before the charges were dropped, Harris told media that he was planning on suing the officers who restrained him. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and WMATA (which claimed Harris “fell” from his chair) are conducting investigations, and the officers have been reassigned to administrative duty. Rend Smith reports that Harris is currently on the hunt for a civil attorney to represent him in the suit.