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CMPD Officer Charged With Assault

Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office

A Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officer is on unpaid leave after being charged with assaulting a man who was in police custody.

Police arrested Jason Van Aken Friday. He’s charged with assault and assault inflicting serious injury, both misdemeanors. CMPD says an internal investigation found that Officer Van Aken used excessive force on 30-year-old Terence Malachi during an incident in August. Police say Malachi was in custody for carrying a concealed weapon. According to CMPD, the investigation found Malachi was handcuffed and shackled in an interview room when Officer Van Aken pushed him into a wall. Malachi was taken to the hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a broken collarbone. Van Aken has been with CMPD for three years and was a patrol officer in the Metro division.