DA could drop 30 cases involving officers in brutality case

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County's district attorney said the recent firings of two police officers could affect as many as 30 felony cases.

Officer Robert McDonald and Sgt. Mike Bongiovanni were fired after video showed them kicking and hitting a man during a traffic stop.

Bongiovanni is fighting his firing because he said he used a trained technique to subdue a combative person.

The former officers could face criminal charges.

The man involved in the traffic stop, Demetrius Hollins, met with investigators at the police department Tuesday afternoon to talk about the case.

"We have to know what happened that's not captured on the video, if anything," district attorney Danny Porter said.

Porter said dozens of cases in his office, many of which were drug-related, could be affected by the brutality case.

Two drug cases have already been dropped, including one where the defendant already pleaded guilty.

"I think you have to do what's right. If we were all relying on certain testimony and certain facts to be true and we can no longer rely on that, then a person shouldn't be saddled with a felony conviction," Porter said.

Cox Media Group