Groups condemn attack on St. Louis County police officers

ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Several local and national organizations over the weekend condemned an alleged racially motivated attack by three construction workers on an off-duty black officer last month. They also called on prosecutors to consider charges against the men under Missouri’s hate crimes law.

The groups said the attack — and the way the St. Louis County officer was treated by his colleagues during the incident — was a blatant expression of racism and white supremacy.

“Their words and actions are not just expressions of violence, but of a deeper hatred that must be rooted out and condemned,” said a letter from the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers. “They must answer for their crimes not only as attackers, but also as perpetrators of racist violence.”

The Ethical Society of Police, a St. Louis-based organization that represents black police officers in the city and county and advocates for justice in the department, said the “abhorrent behavior of these individuals reflects the ugly history of white supremacy that this is.” country decades ago.” It called on the Missouri Department of Transportation to immediately terminate all contracts with the construction company that employs the men.

The St. Louis County branch of the NAACP and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, also called on authorities to investigate the attack as a hate crime – which would increase the possible penalties.

But defense attorney Bradley Dede told the Post-Dispatch that the off-duty officer got out of his car, started yelling at the workers and delivered the first punch. His client, Donnie Hurley II, was one of the three men charged, but he is not accused of using racial slurs in court documents.

Dede said the indictment was written “based on hearsay from another person.”

“Let’s say he was verbally abused – which I don’t admit – but if this guy is so thin-skinned and volatile that he jumps out of the car and does something, he shouldn’t be wearing a badge or carrying a gun,” Dede said about the off-duty officer.

According to the indictment filed Oct. 4, the attack occurred on Sept. 26 at about 10:30 p.m. at the intersection of South Lindbergh Boulevard and Lemay Ferry Road

Three men have been accused of arguing with and then attacking a driver who apparently drove into their development area. Dede said her job is to ensure the safety of other workers. The driver was an off-duty St. Luis County police officer, dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked car.

According to charging documents, one of the workers used racial slurs against the off-duty officer and told him he didn’t belong there and to “go back to the neighborhood with his gold chain.”

Matthew Devlin, 39, is charged with three counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of kidnapping. Garrett Gibbs, 23, and Hurley, 42, are each charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and two counts of kidnapping.

Dede, the defense attorney, noted that the case was initially closed.

“That’s why I couldn’t even get a copy of the charges until the court lowered the security level,” he said. “First of all, I find it strange. That’s a rarity.”

Police say Gibbs and Hurley held the off-duty officer while Devlin hit him with a riot helmet, and Hurley then choked him with a headlock with the help of Gibbs and Devlin. The off-duty officer pleaded with her that he couldn’t breathe, the lawsuit said.

In court documents, the officer is referred to only by the initials DW

Devlin and Gibbs did not have attorneys listed in court records Monday.

But as Dede said, one of the workers claimed in a KTVI interview that the workers were attacked first, even though the written police report and charges filed by the St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office do not mention this.

The work area was cordoned off by construction cones and a sign that read “No left turns allowed.” The off-duty officer came into the zone anyway to try to make a left turn, saying he had to be able to do it because he was a police officer, the worker said.

However, ESOP’s statement said the road was “not marked by road closure signage” and that a construction worker approached the off-duty officer’s car.

“What should have been a brief, uneventful exchange took a dark turn when Matthew Devlin, one of the suspects, began shouting racial slurs and hitting the car with an object,” ESOP wrote. “As the officer exited the vehicle, Devlin, without hesitation, struck him in the head with a hard hat while other crew members joined in. The air was full of hate. They spat at him and derogatory insults like “Stupid (N-word)” filled the room as the vicious attack unfolded.”

ESOP further said that the officer’s office treated him as a suspect and handcuffed him while “empowering his attackers’ lies.” The organization said the officer sat at the scene for hours, answering questions and undergoing a field sobriety test.

St. Louis County Police Sgt. Tracy Panus said she could not confirm whether field sobriety tests were conducted at the scene, but said she was not aware of them.

The St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office said the case is under investigation. As of Monday, no amended or additional charges had been filed.

The three men remain in prison. Devlin’s bail was set at $250,000. Gibbs and Hurley were each held on a $100,000 bond.

Bond reduction hearings are scheduled for Tuesday.