LA MESA
Amaurie Johnson does not want to think about how differently things could have turned out if a friend had not recorded his arrest on video last May 27.
Johnson, who is Black, was waiting for his friends at a La Mesa transit center when Officer Matthew Dages, who is White, approached him and accused him of illegally smoking. Johnson was not smoking, and he complied with Dages, giving him his name and date of birth, though he also questioned and protested against what he viewed as a discriminatory stop.
During the encounter, the friends Johnson had been waiting for pulled up in a car, and a passenger began recording on a cellphone. The video showed Dages grabbing and shoving Johnson as he detained and later arrested the San Diego man on suspicion of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
Former La Mesa police officer pleads not guilty to filing false report in arrest of Black man sandiegouniontribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sandiegouniontribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Now retired La Mesa police Chief Walt Vasquez sent former Officer Matthew Dages a termination letter on Aug. 7.
According to the records, Dages didn’t ask another officer to accompany him or activate his body-worn camera before he walked up to Johnson, who was waiting for friends and standing against a parking garage wall outside an apartment complex.
Investigators determined 57 seconds elapsed between the start of the encounter and the moment Dages activated his camera, which happened once the encounter turned tense.
Dages told investigators he activated his body camera “as soon as reasonably possible” a statement the investigators and the police chief rejected. They said time and safety were on Dages’ side before and when he approached Johnson.