Mothers outraged after Delaware State Trooper accused of beating teens over ding dong ditch prank indicted
WARNING -- The video featured may be disturbing to some viewers.
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- Outrage from the families of the two teens who prosecutors say were injured by a Delaware State Trooper on a violent rampage. The attacks were caught on his body camera and this week the trooper was indicted by a grand jury.
The mothers of these two teens broke down in tears on Thursday as their attorney described what happened back on Aug. 21.
The attorney called this "law enforcement sponsored torture" and the moms say what's even more infuriating is they believe the trooper tried to cover it all up.
"The fact that this happened to my son I'm angry that officer came to my house with malicious intent," Chavuan Harris said.
Harris said she's traumatized and still feels targeted by police after her son was one of two teens who prosecutors say was brutally beaten last month by trooper Dempsey Walters. Sam Davis represents both families.
"Both of these boys feared for their lives," Davis said.
It all began with a prank that's similar to something called Ding Dong Ditch.
A 15-year-old only identified as Jadyn was captured by a security camera running up to the trooper's home with his face covered. He kicked the door before running away.
Walters wasn't home, his girlfriend was and called the police.
Davis said it's hard to fathom how Walters put together what he called a small army of law enforcement complete with K-9s and a police helicopter.
"There was law enforcement there armed not only with the standard issue handguns but also military-style rifles," Davis said.
Jadyn was handcuffed and prosecutors say body cam video shows Walters drop his knee onto the boy's neck as he screams in pain. Then, while inside a police cruiser, Walters is accused of turning off his body camera before punching the teen in the face, which fractured his eye socket and required surgery.
"They repaired his face with two big plates with 11 screws and mesh," Davis said.
That same night, Walters is also accused of going to Harris' home. Her son, 17-year-old Alfred, was mistakenly believed to have been behind the prank.
The teen was on the phone with his mom and she heard her son being pulled outside and thrown to the ground.
"I just want him held accountable for his actions and I don't want to ever see this happen to nobody else," Harris said.
Walters was charged with Delaware's new deprivation of civil rights statute, which was passed by the state legislature last year, along with other charges. He has also been suspended without pay with the intent to dismiss.
The attorney says other officers on the scene were just as bad for not intervening.
CBS News Philadelphia checked Thursday afternoon with the Department of Justice and they said Walters is the only officer charged. Delaware State Police said it's investigating any potential policy violations by troopers on the scene.
Walters has entered a plea of not guilty.
