BAYTOWN, Texas – A Baytown police officer at the center of a controversial arrest video has been relieved of duty after the department investigated the incident.
Nathaniel Brown, who was a 9-year veteran of Baytown Police Department, is accused of misconduct. Investigators said Brown’s actions did not align with the department’s standards and values.
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On July 20, Brown and another officer arrested Skylar Gilmore and Isaiah Phillips after they stopped to record a traffic stop involving one of their friends.
READ: Young men seen in video of Baytown arrest speak out
At one point, the video shows Brown walking over and telling Gilmore he is under arrest “because you’re cursing in public” and slams him to the ground, kneeing Gilmore in the face.
Another person can be heard saying, “It’s illegal to talk? Freedom of speech,” to which the officer responds, “Not that speech. That’s disorderly conduct.”
Later in the video, you can see one of Gilmore’s friends slammed into the hood of a truck before Brown swears and threatens Isaiah Benavides, who was shooting the video.
The men were charged with disorderly conduct-language for their public use of profanities. Gilmore was also charged with interfering with public duties, but that charge has since been dropped by the Harris County District Attorney’s office.
The Baytown Police Department released the following written statement:
“The Baytown Police Department takes allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct by our officers very seriously. The trust and confidence of our community (are) paramount and as such we hold our officers to the highest levels of integrity as well as moral, ethical and professional standards. Failure to adhere to those standards will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“We ask that the community continue to place its trust and confidence in our organization and the men and women of the Baytown Police Department who don the badge and uniform every day and proudly serve with honor, integrity and professionalism.”