NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Highway Patrol officer fired for allegedly ripping a protester's mask off has been charged with assault.
Trooper Harvey Briggs was arrested and booked into Davidson County jail Thursday night.
Briggs, a 22-year veteran of the department, had been terminated for unprofessional conduct on August 14.
The termination followed a video that showed Briggs confronting a protester who was documenting a traffic stop.
Moments later, a face mask belonging to the man behind the camera appears on the ground. The man recording said Trooper Briggs ripped it off.