BAYTOWN – Skylar Gilmore and Isaiah Phillips were relieved to hear that former Baytown police officer Nathaniel Brown was indicted on an assault charge earlier this week.
“When he was indicted, I was not happy but I did want him to be treated the same way anybody else would,” said Gilmore.
Brown is charged with assault in connection with the June 2 incident outside the Baytown Market. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail, a 4,000 fine or both.
Brown was also relieved of duty by the Baytown Police department after a video of his encounter with Gilmore and Phillips surfaced.
Brown and another officer were initially attempting to arrest a friend of Gilmore’s after he parked near gas pumps at the store. Gilmore and Phillips saw the arrest happening and began to record it.
In the video, Brown can be seen confronting the men then telling Gilmore to put his hands behind his back before throwing him to the ground and kneeing him in the face.
“When it was happening it was like how did it get to this. I didn’t know you could get a ticket for cursing,” Gilmore said.
Phillips was later slammed onto the hood of a pickup and said he could remember worrying it would escalate further.
“I was just thinking don’t pull your guns on me man I ain’t trying to go out like this,” Phillips said.
Both men were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. But they have hired an attorney to fight the charges.
The men said they were also preparing to file a federal Civil Rights lawsuit in the next 30 days.