SEATTLE – An 18-year-old who was seen on surveillance video being kicked by an undercover Seattle police officer in 2010 was found guilty Thursday on a gun charge in an unrelated case.
The Seattle Times reports D'Vontaveous Hoston faces up to 27 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm. Hoston was arrested after being involved in a fight near Third Avenue and Pike Street in downtown Seattle last July. Court documents indicate when King County sheriff’s deputies caught up with Hoston, he had a loaded handgun.
Hoston allegedly told officers he carried the gun to protect himself from police.
Hoston was seen in October 2010 being kicked by Officer James Lee in a Seattle convenience store after an undercover buy-bust operation went sour and another officer was injured. The incident, captured on a store surveillance camera, showed Hoston with his hands in the air when he was kicked.
Lee was initially charged with fourth-degree assault, but City Attorney Pete Holmes dropped the charges, saying an outside expert determined Lee acted properly during the arrest. Holmes said he has not ruled out refilling the charge if new evidence comes to light.
Hoston reportedly filed a federal lawsuit against the city over the incident with Lee.
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