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Surveillance video shows Officer Vincent Morre attacking two men inside a Chinatown business. If convicted, Morre faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
A Honolulu police officer faces federal charges after he was caught on surveillance video assaulting two people in a Chinatown game room last September.
On Wednesday, U.S. attorneys charged Officer Vincent Morre, 37, with two counts of civil rights violations that could land him in prison for up to 20 years.
A Honolulu police officer faces prison time for his alleged attack on two people in a Chinatown game room.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Morre made headlines when he was seen walking into a business and attacking two people with punches and kicks to the head. He also threw a stool at one of the men.
Officer Nelson Tamayori and Joe Becera, a reserve officer, were in the room, but were not involved in the assault. Becera was forced to resign.
According to news reports, the Honolulu Police Department opened up an assault investigation and turned the case over to the FBI.
An HPD spokeswoman said Wednesday that the department is complying with the FBI in the case, and that Morre has been placed on desk duty with his police powers restricted.
Morre is a nine-year veteran of the department and before the assault was assigned to the crime reduction unit, which is a specialized task force of typically plain-clothes officers who focus on street crimes.
An FBI spokeman said Morre was not arrested, and is scheduled to surrender himself for fingerprinting and processing at his arraignment in U.S. District Court next week.
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Nick Grube is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at nick@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @nickgrube. You can also reach him by phone at 808-377-0246.
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