Advertisement Officer in video did not use excessive force, Boston police say Video showed officer on top of civilian with knee in his back Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An off-duty Boston police officer caught on video on top of a pedestrian with his knee in his back did not use excessive force, Boston police Commissioner William Evans said.Watch the reportEvans held a news conference Tuesday to release findings from an internal investigation into the incident.In May, a video captured images of Officer Edward Barrett on top of Milton Gurin with his knee in his back while he was on the ground."As you know, it is alleged that an off-duty police officer used excessive force when he banged an elderly man's face off the pavement," Evans said. "The investigation undoubtedly shows that this, in fact, did not happen."Evans said seven civilian witnesses, including two co-workers of the man who shot the video, and seven police officers were interviewed during the investigation."The statement of the individual who posted his cellphone video on Facebook was directly contradicted by the clear video evidence and by other eyewitness accounts," Evans said.According to other witnesses, Gurin tripped and fell to the ground after slamming the officer's window with an umbrella while crossing the street.Gurin, Evans said, also said he tripped and fell and was not slammed to the ground."So, the video narrator said we tackled that individual," Evans said. "The victim and all the witnesses clearly say he tripped on his own and he fell."Evans said the civilian witnesses also consistently stated that the officer held the civilian's face to the ground, and did not slam it off the pavement. Gurin said the same thing, Evans said.The version of events is also supported by the surveillance video and cellphone video, Evans said."It's also clear from this investigation that Officer Barrett clearly believed that his window was in fact broken by Mr. Garron when he was crossing the street," Evans said.Evans said that with all incidents, there were things that should have been done better and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken.He said Barrett should have called a supervisor after the incident, but otherwise acted appropriately.