ST. LOUIS — A former Woodson Terrace police officer admitted Thursday in federal court that he committed a civil rights violation by kicking a man in the head during a 2019 arrest while he was on the ground and complying.
David Maas, 57, pleaded guilty to a charge of deprivation of rights under color of law.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Maas used unreasonable force when arresting a man on April 14, 2019. Maas and other officers were pursuing a car stolen during an armed robbery in Bridgeton.
The pursuit ended on Oak Grove Avenue in Wellston, and the robber got out of the passenger side and ran. He was later caught.
The driver, referred to in court by his initials, I.F., then struck a St. Ann police vehicle. A Pagedale officer ran up to the car and ordered him at gunpoint to get out with his hands up and get on the ground.
The justice department said Maas then kicked the man in the forehead while he was on the ground complying and did not pose a threat to anyone. The man suffered injuries during the arrest.
Maas originally pleaded not guilty and had plans to go to trial in August 2022 after he was indicted on the charge. He was then expected to change his plea to guilty, but the plea hearing was postponed.
The incident in question happened during a 2019 arrest when he was a member of the Woodson Terrace Police Department. Maas was a member of the Breckenridge Hills Police Department when he was federally indicted.
"The defendant did not document any use of force in the arrest of I.F., and in fact did not document ANY of his involvement in the chase or the arrest," according to a motion filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug on Aug. 8 of 2022. "Had dash cam video from other police departments not surfaced through a request by a news outlet, the defendant’s employer may never have known of his actions the night of April 14, 2019."
"The defendant resigned from his position in the Woodson Terrace Police Department effective the date his interview with the investigator was scheduled,” she added.
Maas is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23. He faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
