16 Officers Implicated In Brawl Police Chief Quits After Women Accosted, Men Beaten, Arrested

The city’s police chief resigned and 16 officers implicated in a drunken, brawling, spree were reassigned to desk jobs Thursday in the wake of community leaders’ outrage and protest.

The officers - all white members of an elite police unit - emerged from a downtown bar Aug. 27, made lewd remarks to women and then beat up and arrested a black man who confronted them, as well as a white man who tried to intervene.

As many as 50 people witnessed the attack, which strained already poor relations between police and Indianapolis’ black community.

“I believe it is the best interest of the department as well as the city of Indianapolis for me to step down as chief, effective immediately,” said Police Chief Donald Christ.

Mayor Stephen Goldsmith said he reluctantly accepted the resignation.

The FBI has begun a civil rights investigation, and Goldsmith called for a grand jury probe.

Christ had attended an Indianapolis Indians minor-league baseball game with the group, but left before the officers went to the bar.

Witnesses said the off-duty cops pummeled a black motorist who stopped and exchanged words with them, and then badly beat a white man who came to his aid. At least one officer pulled his gun on the civilians during the fray.

Among the witnesses were women who said they were taunted and three white ministers who were out for the evening with families. They said the men smelled of beer and did not identify themselves as police at first.

One of the police officers also shouted a racial slur, a witness said.

“It was the most unfair thing I ever saw in my life. They were half-drunk,” said the Rev. Timothy Keep. “I told one cop, ‘You guys are a disgrace.’ … I mean, he was blowing Budweiser in my face.”

Prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against the men the police had beaten and arrested.

Christ also had refused to suspend any of the accused officers and no charges have been filed. A police spokesman said Thursday the desk job reassignments had been made at the officers’ own requests.

The chief’s delay in punishing the officers and the decision to put off an internal investigation until the grand jury probe was finished had prompted a series of protests from the black community.

According to witnesses, the officers emerged from the bar about 11 p.m. smelling of alcohol and began harassing women.

“I was literally terrified of them,” said Courtney Hoffman. “I was afraid they were going to harm me because they were drunk.”

The black man who was beaten, Jeff Gordon, said: “Bottom line is, if it were you or I and there were 30 credible witnesses, there wouldn’t be a grand jury investigation. You would be downtown. You would be tried, convicted and put in jail.”