JUSTICE

Former Missouri Detective Who Hit Fleeing Black Man With SUV Charged With Assault

Joshua Smith allegedly hit a man who was fleeing on foot with his police SUV, then got out of the vehicle and kicked and jumped on him.

A former Missouri detective has been charged with assault after allegedly hitting a fleeing suspect with a police SUV on June 2, inflicting a leg injury which required surgery. Ferguson native Joshua L. Smith, who is charged with first-degree assault, fourth-degree assault, and armed criminal action, turned himself in Wednesday before being released on a $50,000 cash-only bond. Surveillance footage shows a police SUV hitting a Black man, then the driver of the SUV, whom authorities have identified as Smith, getting out of the vehicle and kicking and jumping on the man who had just been hit.

The suspect who was hit by the car has not been publicly identified by police, and it is unclear whether any charges have been filed against him. Smith was fired from the Florissant Police Department on June 10, eight days after the incident. The two other detectives who were passengers in the SUV have been placed on leave. Protesters had gathered several times outside the Florissant police station, urging that Smith be arrested.