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T cop could face charges for allegedly shoving homeless man to the ground and forcing his face into pavement at Forest Hills and then lying about it

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports it is investigating a now former Transit Police officer for possibly lying about an April 28 incident in a Forest Hills busway in which he may have shoved the man into the pavement and then kept him there with his knee on his back for 20 seconds.

The DA's office says that Officer Nicholas Morrissey's official report, in which he claimed the man lost his balance and fell to the pavement while Morrissey was trying to get him off a bus "is not supported by video."

In a statement, DA Rachael Rollins said she doesn't tend to comment on cases before somebody is formally charged but that "the behaviors of law enforcement personnel must be held to a higher standard and require transparency."

When Transit Police leadership began looking into the matter, Morrissey resigned, the DA's office says, adding that his immediate superior is now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

According to the DA's office:

On April 28, 2020, Morrissey allegedly dragged a homeless, intoxicated man from an MBTA bus on the Forest Hills busway and forcibly held the 63-year-old face-down with a knee on his back for 20 seconds, pushed his head into the pavement, and later dragged him out of the bus lane.

The man, who is known to MBTA police, suffered abrasions to his face. Morrissey filed a report on the incident alleging that the man lost his balance while attempting to spit at Morrissey. Morrissey said he grabbed the man by the shoulders and redirected him before the man fell through the bus door and hit his forehead on the pavement. The report is not consistent with video of the interaction.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

I just find it hard to believe that an officer who knows there are cameras on the buses and passengers would beat a senior citizen in a crowded bus way. I also find it hard to believe that the General Manager of the T would keep this incident quiet for over a month.

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And when at last the police came by
Rickety-tickety-tin
And when at last the police came by
Her little pranks she did not deny
To do so she would have had to lie
And lying she knew was a sin, a sin
Lying she knew was a sin

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That's what I want to see from the DA in my area.

I suspect the officer's immediate consequences are more from lying than anything though, would he resign if he told them exactly what happened? I don't believe so, but more transparency is better than not.

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