Former Metro Detroit police officer sentenced for 2020 assault of man near Burger King
A former Highland Park, Michigan, police officer has been sentenced for the 2020 assault of a 36-year-old man near a Burger King.
According to online court records, Dammeon Lamark Player was sentenced on Wednesday to two years of probation and 40 hours of community service.
Player was dispatched to the Burger King on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park on May 14, 2020, for reports of a person, later identified as the man, being disorderly. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said Player allegedly started arguing with the man and deployed his Taser from his vehicle towards him, though it didn't have any effect.
Player allegedly then exited his vehicle, followed the man down Woodward Avenue, deployed his Taser again and pushed him, causing the man to fall into a cement wall and hit his head. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
In June, Player entered a no contest plea to one count each of misconduct in office and felonious assault, the prosecutor's office said. A third charge against Player, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, was dismissed.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.
In June 2025, Player was sentenced to 45 days in jail and two years' probation for a 2023 assault during a traffic stop in Warren, Michigan. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said Player and another officer conducted a traffic stop that was outside of their jurisdiction and allegedly used excessive force during the arrest.