A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

First Witness Takes Stand in Dover Police Assault Case

Dover Police Dept

DOVER, Del. (AP) - A Dover police supervisor says a black man whose jaw was broken after he was kicked in the head by a white officer was alert and belligerent shortly afterward.

Lt. Todd Case was the first witness called in the trial of Cpl. Thomas Webster IV, who is charged with felony assault.

A police dash cam video shows Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in August 2013 while Dickerson was on his hands and knees. Dickerson was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw.

Webster's attorney says the officer's actions were justified in responding to reports of a man with a gun.

Case said Tuesday that after arriving at the scene, he asked Dickerson how he was. He says Dickerson responded by spewing profanities at police and telling them they were lucky they caught him.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.