Baltimore officer found guilty on misdemeanor charges in case over attempted cruiser run-down
BALTIMORE —
Robert Parks, the Baltimore police officer accused of trying to run down a man in his police cruiser, was found guilty by a judge on several misdemeanor charges.
The judge found Parks guilty on second-degree assault, reckless driving and three counts of misconduct in office.
| TRIAL COVERAGE: FIRST DAY | SECOND DAY
The judge found Parks not guilty of second-degree attempted murder and first degree assault.
“Do I believe Mr. Parks was trying to kill (the victim)? No, I do not,” said Judge Dana Middleton, who made the ruling on Thursday.
The judge noted the defense argued Parks thought the man he was after was armed. She said Parks did not radio to his fellow officers that the man may have been armed until after the crash happened and the chase ended.
The judge also noted Parks did not believe he hit the man he was chasing but the judge said in the viral video “the patrol vehicle makes contact with (the victim).”
During the course of the trial, the prosecutor argued Parks knew of the three department policies that he violated.
On Thursday, the judge agreed that Parks violated the BPD’s use of force policy 1115, the de-escalation policy 1107 and the use of emergency vehicles policy 1503.
The judge pointed out that the police department has a policy that officers should let the suspect go rather than endanger the public.
In a statement, State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates said the focus is now on sentencing.
“While we respect the Court’s decision, the behavior demonstrated by Officer Parks seriously threatened the life of the victim and the general public. As in any case, we will now prepare to advocate for an appropriate sentence that reflects the Defendant’s serious actions,” Bates said.
Parks will remain on home detention until his sentencing, which is scheduled for January 2027. He has 30 days to request an appeal.
The second-degree assault charge has a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. The reckless driving charge is considered a traffic misdemeanor and typically results in a fine.
There is no maximum sentencing for the counts of Misconduct in Office.