Lawyer For Blane Salamoni Questions Battery Charge Timing

Former Baton Rouge police officer Blane Salamoni, who was involved in the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling, is now facing a battery charge from a separate arrest that took place one month before the shooting. Salamoni’s attorney John Mclindon was asked about possible jail time for his client.

“I mean technically, the statute does call for it, but no one really gets jailed for a first offense, simple battery… traditionally.”

Baton Rouge Police fired Salamoni and demoted another officer involved in the Sterling incident. Federal and state prosecutors decided not to pursue criminal charges against Salamoni for the fatal shooting of Sterling. Mclindon says this new charge against Salamoni is window dressing for the police department.

“Most people kind of see through it. You know, they’ve known about it for what, almost two years now? They don’t bring it up until after Blane files his appeal. I don’t know.”

Salamoni has appealed his firing from the Baton Rouge Police Department. Mclindon thinks the battery charge is just a ploy to embarrass Salamoni.

“None of this is admissible at the hearing on the appeal of his firing. I guess they just want to ‘dirty up’ Blane in the public. That’s my guess.”

In the battery case, the Baton Rouge Police Department says the body camera video shows Salamoni slapped a handcuffed man in the head.