The Department of Justice is looking into why federal prosecutors only opened a preliminary investigation into the assault of a Delaware man at the hands of a police officer.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Wilmington, Delaware told NBC10 Friday that officials did review dashcam video showing Dover Police Cpl. Tom Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in the head during an August 2013 arrest as part of an initial review of the case.
But the office maintained Dickerson's civil rights were not infringed upon and closed its investigation. Officials can't or won't say why a formal probe was not launched.
The video was released by the Dover Police Department on Thursday — less than a week after Webster was indicted on a 2nd Degree Assault charge.
A grand jury indicted Webster more than a year and a half after the incident. It was the second grand jury to review the case. The first grand jury, convened last March, did not bring charges. It is not clear whether they reviewed the video.
Webster was suspended following the arrest and later disciplined by the department, but returned to the force in June 2014.
The ACLU later sued the department on the man's behalf claiming brutality.
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Webster has not commented on the indictment, but his attorney, Jim Liguori, said the officer is innocent. No one was at his home Friday. He has been suspended from the force once again, this time without pay.
Dickerson faced several charges after the arrest, which took place after a large fight at a Hess gas station. Those were later dropped.
