From [HERE] Two Kansas City police officers pleaded not guilty to felony assault charges Tuesday in a case that alleges the pair used excessive force during the arrest of Breona Hill, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Matthew G. Brummett and Charles Prichard each entered not guilty pleas during an arraignment hearing, said Michael Mansur, a spokesman for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

A grand jury handed an indictment in May, initially charging Brummett and Prichard each with a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault. However, after those charges were were filed, two new witnesses came forward. And based on the new testimony, a grand jury amended the charges last month. Both men now face a charge of felony third-degree assault for allegedly pinning Hill to the ground and slamming her head into the pavement outside a beauty store in May 2019 during an arrest.

The new charges alleged that the officers “knowingly” caused injury to Hill during the arrest “by slamming her face against the concrete sidewalk, kneeing her in the face, torso and ribs and forcing her arms over her head while cuffed.”

The case gained national attention after the arrest was caught on video.

After the man who recorded the arrest was cited by police for failing to obey officers’ orders, the City Council in June voted to pass legislation they hope would protect witnesses.

The man, Roderick Reed, 52, was convicted in Municipal Court and sentenced to 30 days in jail and a year of probation.

Police maintained he was cited for failing to move his car from the middle of the street — not for recording the arrest. Recording police officers in public is legal.

In June, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he would pardon Reed.