Assault charges filed against man who attacked 62-year-old water district worker in Des Moines
Charges were filed Friday against the suspect who assaulted a 62-year-old man in Des Moines on Tuesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced.
Amani Kaleb Brown, 27, is charged with second-degree assault after punching and kicking a King County Water District worker while he and a co-worker were trying to locate a water main near Brown’s home. According to charging documents, the water district workers were actually on public easement property.
According to Des Moines police, officers were called to a fight in progress near 11th Avenue South and South 222nd Street in Des Moines just after 3 p.m. Tuesday. Officers were told by the 911 caller that the 62-year-old victim was working for the King County Water District and was “possibly unconscious” on the ground.
The 911 caller was a co-worker of the victim, and he began recording the assault on his phone.
When officers arrived, they found the victim conscious, with his eyes and face swollen and shirt bloodied. Officers also saw a man matching the Brown’s description walking away from the victim.
After a confrontation and struggle with officers, Brown was taken into custody.
According to charging documents, Brown was uncooperative both at the time of arrest and in jail. It took four officers to get Brown into the patrol car, and Brown spit at the officers during the arrest.
The victim and his co-worker told police that they were working for the water district when according to police, Brown approached the victim and said, “I’m having a bad day,” before punching him in the face.
Police said Brown continued to assault the victim on the ground before getting up to challenge the co-worker who was recording the incident. Brown then returned to the victim, who had managed to stand up again, and punched him and wrestled him to the ground.
According to charging documents, the victim was apparently unconscious as Brown continued to kick and hit him.
Brown was booked into the King County Jail on a 72-hour hold for investigation of second-degree assault.
On Thursday, Des Moines police learned that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office released Brown before his first court hearing and before the office could gather all the facts from detectives about the victim’s injuries.
Charging documents state that the victim suffered a broken jaw, two orbital fractures, and a broken nose.
According to the police, the probable cause certification that was filed by the case detective on Wednesday outlined the victim’s injuries, but the prosecuting attorney’s office did not receive that information until after the decision was made to release Brown.
Police also said that the prosecuting attorney’s office was sent a link to the video taken by the victim’s co-worker, but that also wasn’t until after the decision was made to release Brown.
According to the prosecuting attorney’s office, Brown has pending charges of hit-and-run attended and reckless driving in Normandy Park from Oct. 26. Prosecutors argued that Brown’s bail should be set at $50,000, though Brown has not yet made his first appearance in court, so bail hasn’t been set.
On Friday evening, the Des Moines Police Department announced that Brown was taken into custody at his home without incident just before 5 p.m. He is currently in custody at the King County Jail.
