Three Missouri construction workers facing felony assault and kidnapping charges after an altercation with a Black off-duty police officer claim they are being wrongfully accused. The defendants, Matthew Devlin, Garrett Gibbs, and Donnie Hurley Jr., argue that it was the officer who initiated the conflict, not them.
The incident took place on September 26 in a road construction zone in St. Louis. According to court documents, the officer, dressed in plainclothes, drove his vehicle into an area marked by traffic cones, sparking a confrontation over work zone boundaries. The three construction workers are accused of hurling racial slurs at the officer, physically assaulting him, and restraining him until police arrived. Devlin allegedly struck the officer with a hard hat while Gibbs and Hurley are accused of holding him down.
Defense attorneys, however, have offered a different narrative. During a recent court hearing, Gibbs testified that the officer was the aggressor, stepping out of his vehicle and initiating an argument with the workers. According to Gibbs, the officer, who claimed to be a police officer and insisted on making an illegal turn, escalated the situation by swinging at one of the workers. “He took a swing at one of the workers and missed, but he hit me instead,” Gibbs said, noting that the altercation quickly intensified after that.
Witnesses reported hearing Devlin tell the officer to “go back to the hood with your gold chain” during the exchange, but Gibbs insisted that the officer’s actions were misrepresented in the charges. Despite their claims of self-defense, Devlin, Gibbs, and Hurley were arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including assault and kidnapping. Their attorneys argue that the charges are excessive, and that the case has been mishandled by authorities seeking to protect a fellow police officer.
The altercation has garnered significant attention, drawing criticism from advocacy groups such as the Ethical Society of Police and the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP. St. Louis NAACP President John Bowman has called for the charges to include hate crime enhancements due to the racial slurs allegedly used during the attack. Despite these demands, local prosecutors have determined that the case does not meet the criteria for a hate crime.
At the center of the legal battle is a disagreement over who initiated the violence. While the workers maintain that the officer was intoxicated and threw the first punch, on-duty officers who responded to the scene administered a sobriety test, finding no signs of alcohol intoxication. The off-duty officer, who was briefly handcuffed and later released, was reassigned to administrative duties before returning to his full role.
During the bond hearing on October 15, defense attorneys requested reduced bonds for the workers, arguing that their clients acted in self-defense. However, the judge denied the request, keeping Devlin’s bond at $250,000 and Gibbs and Hurley’s at $100,000 each. “This prosecution is overly zealous,” said John Rogers, Devlin’s attorney. “The case is overcharged, and the elements of kidnapping cannot be met.”
As the legal process unfolds, the case continues to spark debate about racial profiling, police conduct, and the appropriate use of legal charges in violent confrontations. For now, the construction workers remain in custody, awaiting their next court appearance as the broader conversation around racial justice and accountability in law enforcement grows louder in St. Louis.
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