Texas Prosecutor Dismisses 17 Indictments Against Austin Police Officers in George Floyd Protests

The prosecutor in Austin, Texas, dismissed 17 indictments against police officers for their tactics during the 2020 George Floyd protests, while city officials are calling for a federal investigation into the Austin Police Department. The Travis County District Attorney will continue prosecuting four officers and has requested the Justice Department to conduct a "pattern-or-practice" investigation into the department's crowd control actions. The city has already paid over $18 million to settle civil lawsuits related to the protests, with eight suits still pending. The officers' lawyers claim the case was political and should have been a civil lawsuit instead.