Suspended Buffalo police officers who shoved elderly protester expected to be charged today

Reports suggest that the officers will be charged with second degree assault, a class D felony

The two police officers suspended after video emerged of them shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground are expected to be charged on Saturday.

Sources tell WGRZ that the officers from the Emergency Response Team (ERT) will be arraigned in court in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday morning.

The incident took place on Thursday during a protest about the death of George Floyd in Niagara Square, Buffalo.

The officers were told to clear the area of protesters once a curfew came into effect.

Martin Gugino struck his head on the pavement when he fell. The video shows blood pooling around his head. He is recovering in hospital.

WKBW reports that the officers will be charged with assault in the second degree, a class D felony.

Text messages seen by the TV station ask fellow officers to show their support outside the courthouse.

Mayor Brown said that he would not fire the two officers until an investigation had played out. Their suspension lead to the entire 57-member emergency response unit resigning from the team in protest, but not from the force.

UPDATE (16.06.20): A previous version of this article reported that the mayor of Buffalo had described the 75-year old protester as an “agitator”. We would like to clarify that, in fact, the mayor was referring to another protestor, who was reportedly tackled to the ground by police during the demonstrations. The error has been removed from the piece.