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New Video Shows Homestead Officer Shoving Female Suspect By Neck, Already Facing Charges

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – New video of a Homestead police officer, already charged with using excessive force on a handcuffed inmate in 2018, shows him slapping and shoving a female suspect as well two years earlier.

According to Homestead Police, the new video shows Lester Brown escorting a handcuffed woman into the booking room in 2016. The video shows Brown shoving the female into the room, yelling "Don't do it, I'll knock you the **** out." Then he is seen forcefully pushing the woman down onto the bench by the neck.  Immediately after, police say, he is heard saying, "Knock it off," as he strikes her in the face with an open hand.

Brown was placed on Administrative Duties pending the investigation.

The case was also forwarded to the Miami-Dade Attorney's Office, which reviewed the case and declined to file charges.

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The State Attorney's Office requested that Homestead Police handle the case administratively. The Homestead Police Chief then fired Brown due to his actions.

However, Brown arbitrated the case, the arbitrator ruled an 8-month suspension without pay, and required counseling was fair punishment.

Now, Brown is suspended without pay again for the incident in 2018, which shows him shoving another handcuffed detainee into a wall, causing the man's face to bleed.

Homestead Cop Charged
Homestead police officer Lester Brown has been charged after video showed him push a handcuffed suspect into a wall, which caused a bloody facial injury. (Source: Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office)

Brown turned himself Wednesday. He faces felony battery and official misconduct charges.

The December 2018 incident was caught on internal surveillance video at a Homestead police station, where Brown works as a booking officer.

Brown's defense attorney describes the arrest as a "political" vendetta.

Brown is currently suing the city for discrimination. He claims he has been passed over for promotion because he is missing two fingers on his left hand. The lawsuit is ongoing.

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