Attorney General's Office charges Justin Stetson with 3rd-degree assault in beating of Jaleel Stallings

December 28, 2022 (SAINT PAUL) — The office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today charged Justin Stetson with one count of assault in the third degree under Minnesota Statutes Sec. 609.223, subd. 1 for the May 30, 2020 beating of Jaleel Stallings in Minneapolis. Stetson was a Minneapolis police officer at the time. A copy of the complaint is attached.

The complaint alleges that on that date, then-Officer Stetson repeatedly struck Mr. Stallings over a period of nearly 30 seconds although Mr. Stallings had already surrendered, was lying prone on the ground, posed no imminent threat, and did not resist Stetson’s use of force. As a result of the assault, Mr. Stallings suffered a fracture of his left orbital wall — the facial bone that surrounds and protects the eye. As outlined in the complaint, an expert use-of-force review of the case materials concluded that then-Officer Stetson’s use of force was “unreasonable, excessive, and contrary to generally accepted police practice.” Mr. Stetson no longer has an active peace officer’s license in Minnesota.

As provided for under Minnesota Statutes Sec. 8.01, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office referred review of the case to the Attorney General’s Office in the spring of 2022.

The complaint is an allegation. Mr. Stetson is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This press release constitutes the entirety of the Attorney General’s Office’s public comment on the complaint until further notice.