Dallas Police say Williams was placed on administrative leave after the incident.
Dallas police announced on Friday evening that officer Senior Cpl. Melvin Williams will face a criminal charge, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Williams, 40, is the police officer caught on a July viral video repeatedly punching a man’s face in Deep Ellum while he and other officers were trying to break up a street fight. The incident happened near Elm Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.
Per a report from The Dallas Morning News, the video showed a man approaching officers attempting to break up a fight and detain people. As the man moves towards the officers, an officer (identified as Williams) tells him not to come closer. “Back up, back up, back your [explitive] up,” he tells the man while pushing him away.
Amidst a brief cut from Williams and the man, the camera pans towards the other side of the street, showing Williams shoving the man into a post and then straddling him and giving him multiple punches.
Police initially did not release the name of the officer involved. It was later revealed the officer involved was Senior Cpl. Williams. He has served at the Dallas Police Department for about fifteen years.
An August report from DMN also revealed that Williams was in the middle of an investigation on two use-force incidents during 2020 protests.
Dallas police said on Friday that the DPD’s public integrity unit obtained an arrest warrant for Williams and that he faces one count of misdemeanor assault. According to The Dallas Morning News, authorities also say that Williams, who is currently on administrative leave from the department, is expected to turn himself in.