Minneapolis Police Officer Charged with Civil Rights Violation

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in St. Paul, Minn., returned an indictment today charging Minneapolis Police Officer Jason Andersen, 33, with a felony civil rights crime for assaulting a juvenile during an arrest , the Justice Department announced.

Andersen was charged with one count of willfully depriving a juvenile arrestee of his constitutional right to be free from the unreasonable use of force by a police officer If convicted, Andersen faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for this charge.

According to the indictment, Andersen kicked the juvenile during his arrest, which resulted in bodily injury to the victim. The charge set forth in the indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorney Nicole Lee Ndumele from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.