Officer In School Assault Video Named, Has Questionable History

A video obtained by 11 News, which appears to show a Baltimore City Schools Police Department officer slapping and kicking a young man, will be investigated by the Baltimore Police Department.

City school officials told 11 News that the district got word of the incident late Tuesday afternoon along with a copy of the cellphone video.

The district official said the incident took place some time Tuesday morning at The REACH Partnership School, which is in the old Lake Clifton school complex.

The Baltimore Police Department's special investigation team will act as the primary investigators. The request for the criminal investigation was made by Akil Hamm, the acting chief of the Baltimore City Schools Police.

"This is the right thing to do in a case like this and I have assigned S.I.R.T. to handle all aspects of this criminal investigation," said Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis.

School officials said the young man in the video is not a student at the school and did not have permission to be on school property.

"No, this is not a student at REACH. (He's) someone who was apparently on the property and did not have permission to be on the property," said Karl Perry, chief school supports officer.

But a lawyer for the young man told the 11 News I-Team Wednesday afternoon that he is a student at the school and they have school records to prove it. The lawyer said they believe officers made a mistake identifying the 16-year-old as an intruder, calling the incident an "unprovoked assault" that resulted in facial injuries.

Baltimore City School Police Union President Clyde Boatwright said Tuesday night that he met with the officer shortly after the video was made public.

"It is in the early stages of the investigation, and we look forward to a full and complete investigation and at this point we're just waiting for those results," Boatwright said.

By email, a Fraternal Order of Police lawyer for the officer said the young man became belligerent when asked to leave the property. He said there's more to the story than what the video shows, but he offered no detail.

11 News has confirmed that Baltimore City Schools Police Chief Marshall Goodwin has been placed on administrative leave as the school district investigates.

Both officers seen in the video have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

In a statement, district CEO Gregory Thornton said, "I am completely appalled and disappointed by what is depicted in the video. Our school police officers are entrusted with ensuring the safety of our students and staff, and I know that most of them take this job seriously while maintaining a high level of professionalism. The behavior in the video is completely unacceptable. We are confident that the process required by the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights will lead to a thorough review of the conduct."

School police say excessive force was used

School police said what took place at the school was "excessive force."

Explaining his reaction to the video, Hamm said the video is "troubling, very troubling being a father of two teenage sons. It's troubling for me."

"According to our use of force continuum, definitely excessive force was used, and we are looking at that force that was used. We are working with the State's Attorney's Office to try and look at everything and see how it transpired," Hamm said.

Officer's background shows he was fired from previous job

The 11 News I-Team reported Thursday that the officer is Anthony Spence, 44, according to multiple sources.

Spence is in his 12th year as an officer with the Baltimore City School Police force. He was on full duty at the time of the incident and was fully armed.

Last Christmas Eve, there was an incident involving Spence and a family member at an east Baltimore rowhouse that resulted in city police being called. According to a police report, the family member claimed Spence threatened him with a gun during an argument. Other witnesses said that didn't happen. No one was arrested.

In 2011, a woman filed a temporary protective order against Spence in a domestic violence case. She withdrew it before a final order was entered.

In 2002, Spence and the president of the school police FOP were fired while working as deputy sheriffs in Baltimore. They had tried to arrest the wrong man at Lexington Market, who was injured in the fray. Both went on to be hired by the Baltimore City School Police.

The 11 News I-Team has learned that Spence's connection to Goodwin wasn't just professional. For nearly 10 years, Spence was thought to be the father of a granddaughter of Goodwin. Recently, a DNA test proved Spence wasn't the father.

Chief Goodwin was put on admin leave after video surfaced of Spence appearing to slap and kick young man. School system will not say why — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) March 3, 2016

For 10yrs, City school off Anthony Spence thought to be father of granddaughter of chief Toby Goodwin. DNA test last yr proved otherwise — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) March 3, 2016

City school police force again under scrutiny

The videotaped incident again puts the city school police force under scrutiny, and the school system's ability to handle investigating its own.

This is the second time in 13 months that a school police officer has been caught on video using force.

Last January, an 11 News I-Team investigation revealed an incident in which school police Officer Lakisha Pulley hit and injured a middle school student with her baton. Pulley was criminally prosecuted.

At City Hall on Wednesday, the video brought an audible groan from the mayor.

"As a parent of a Baltimore City school student, I was appalled by what I saw. The behavior that was demonstrated on the video is certainly something you never want to see," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

The mayor said the incident hurts the cause of repairing trust between police and communities.

"Anytime there is a person with that level of authority that seems to be abusing that authority, it impacts all of us," Rawlings-Blake said.

In Annapolis, Delegate Curt Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat, wants an outside investigation of the incident on the video.

"I don't know if I have the authority, but I'm asking the Maryland State Police to investigate. Right now, with the police chief being suspended, I am not so sure the Baltimore City school police can investigate this incident properly," Anderson said.

In tweet Wednesday, state Sen. Bill Ferguson, also a Baltimore Democrat wrote: "It's time for a top-to-bottom review of the Baltimore City Schools Police Department -- $8 million per year for police, yet $2.5 million per year on college advising."

The video brings up another hot topic because the officer was armed. State law prohibits officers from having guns in school. It's unclear exactly where this incident occurred.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller and 11 News reporter Tim Tooten contributed to this story.