A former suburban St. Louis police officer has been arrested and charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and the kidnapping of a Black man during this year’s celebration of the Fourth of July.
Samuel Davis was arrested on Monday, July 17, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, after authorities in St. Louis County, Missouri, issued a warrant for his arrest. He had left Missouri following his suspension from the Northwoods Police Department during an investigation into his conduct after arresting the man on Independence Day. The 26-year-old reportedly had tried to secure a police job while in North Carolina.
Authorities believe Davis assaulted a man he arrested at a Northwoods Walgreens during the holiday, brought him to a field in the mostly Black nearby town of Kinloch, and left him bloodied with a broken jaw.
A woman discovered Davis’ patrol vehicle parked in the field, according to KSDK, and sought to investigate what was going on. She found a man, the officer, and an unbelievable scandal.
While the victim remained beaten on the ground, she captured a photo of him lying bloodied. Later she uploaded the image on Facebook with a detailed description of seeing an officer standing over him.
The witness said the victim cried out to her, saying, “Ma’am please, the police beat me in my head. Please help me,” KMOV reports.
She then reported the incident to authorities. The St. Louis County police were initially investigating the case.
Court documents report that after Davis arrested the man, he handcuffed him and placed him in the back of his car.
Departing from protocol, he deactivated his body camera, never wrote a police report, and neglected to inform dispatchers where he was taking his suspect.
Once at the field, Davis Allegedly pepper sprayed the man, repeatedly struck him with a baton, and threatened him to never return to the small town of 3,600 people.
A statement released by the department’s chief confirmed the 26-year-old had been placed on administrative leave as an internal team does its due diligence on his case. By this week the department was referring to Davis as a former officer.
“Words can barely begin to express the disappointment and the failure of what appears to be a reckless disregard for the humane treatment of others and the solemn duties of a law enforcement officer,” Northwoods Chief Dennis Shireff said in part in a statement released after Davis’ arrest. “This incident is directly contrary to the core values, goals, and policies of our police department and of the City of Northwoods.”
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell also released a statement, saying this type of behavior “will not be tolerated” on his watch.
“These actions put a black eye on all law enforcement officers who are doing their jobs the right way and who are tired of their profession being dragged through the mud because of the bad actions of a few,” Bell explained.
Davis is waiting to be extradited from Fayetteville to St. Louis. Once there, he will be held on a $750,000 bond.
Bell says his office intends “to hold anyone who engages in such terrible and reckless behavior accountable for their actions, regardless of their position or title.”
