Lucas Vieira.Photo: Houston Police Officer’s Union
The charges stem from the July 2019 traffic stop of Aundre Howard, a Black man who has since filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Vieira, other police officers and the city of Houston.
Howard’s attorney, Randall L. Kallinen, previously released a 23-second clip of the traffic stop. In the clip, which shows Howard handcuffed, Vieira can allegedly twice be heard yelling, “Just f—— shoot his a–.” The clip also shows an officer, alleged to be Vieira, striking Howard on the head repeatedly with a pair of handcuffs.
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After the chase ended, “Officer Vieira shouted for [the other officer] to shoot Mr. Howard twice with Mr. Howard’s back to him and even shouted ‘BOP BOP,'” the suit alleges.
“When Officer Vieira caught up with the already restrained Mr. Howard he then used his steel handcuffs as ‘brass knuckles’ and smashed Mr. Howard in the back of the head at least three times” while the other officer did nothing to stop him, the suit alleges.
The suit also alleges that officers held Howard in a publicly visible area with his buttocks and genitals exposed, and that multiple officers did nothing “to prevent this humiliation.”
Howard was initially charged with drug possession and evading arrest, but both charges were dismissed, court records show.
In a 2020 news conference announcing the lawsuit, Howard recalled of the encounter, “I was scared, I didn’t know what was going to happen,“Click2Houston reports.
A spokesperson from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said it was unclear if Vieira has surrendered yet or had been arrested. It’s unclear if Vieira has retained an attorney in his criminal case.
The department addressed the charges against Vieira ina statement on Twitter, writing, in part, “Shortly after being sworn in as Police Chief in April, Chief Tony Finner indefinitely suspended Vieira on April 16. We respect the grand jury’s decision. This case is now in the hands of the courts.”
source: people.com
