New Jersey prosecutors have charged a police officer with allegedly stealing an Associated Press photojournalist’s camera bag during a protest at Delaney Hall last weekend.New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the filing of the criminal charge related to third-degree theft on Thursday. The charged officer was Darryl Brown, a 43-year-old sergeant working for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.Brown allegedly stole $10,000 worth of camera equipment from Angelina Katsanis on May 30 while she covered the anti-ICE protests going on at the immigration detention center in Newark. Katsanis was injured and taken to a nearby hospital when Brown allegedly snatched her bag. Davenport criticized the sergeant’s alleged misconduct.
“When an officer does what is alleged in this case, it is a disservice to the profession and the public,” the Democratic attorney general said in a statement. “I previously pledged that our Office would review allegations of improper conduct by law enforcement. We are doing exactly that, and this case is a result of that effort.”
“Let me be clear: absolutely no one is above the law,” she continued. “We will hold law enforcement accountable when they abuse the tremendous position of public trust that they occupy and choose to break the law.”
