The evidence was manufactured, the protestors were framed and the paper trail led directly to the Phoenix Police Department. Now, there’s a wild new development that will allow the badge-wearing culprits to walk away with zero legal consequences.
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The massive city scandal largely began after a series of protests in downtown Phoenix occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. A group of 18 protestors were arrested on October 21, 2020, six days after what would have been Floyd’s 47th birthday, ABC 15 Arizona reported.
The protesters were initially booked for rioting and other crimes, but were later indicted by a grand jury for assisting a criminal street gang— a gang completely made up by officials.
Days after their arrest, Phoenix officers and county prosecutors invented a gang, then falsely charged—with felonies— the protesters as members of the fictional gang they created.
Phoenix police and county prosecutors likened their made-up gang to the Bloods, Crips, and Hells Angels to a grand jury to make the charges stick, according to a confidential transcript reviewed by ABC 15. The city and the prosecutor even double-downed on the ruse, until a relentless push for transparency began to strip away the department’s brazen lie.
The scandal was exposed after ABC 15 launched its “Politically Charged” investigation, which uncovered evidence that Phoenix police officers and prosecutors targeted groups and leaders who protested against them.
Nearly six years later, the Phoenix Police Department announced six officers were internally investigated, and three were determined to have violated policy. However, the three officers found in breach of department standards will get away scot-free—with a hefty pension to boot.
According to ABC 15 sources, the three cops who violated policy are now retired, so they cannot be disciplined. “Since the violations are policy related and not criminal in nature, disciplinary action can only be taken against individuals currently employed,” the PPD announced.
The central figure involved in the gang charges was Sgt. Doug McBride, who was the officer who misled a grand jury with “egregious” testimony to secure the indictment, according to court records.
Before the PPD’s Professional Standards Bureau’s internal investigation was completed, McBride retired in December 2025. He now collects a near $100,000 annual pension.
April Sponsel, a top prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s office, was fired in June 2022 for submitting the criminal street gang charges, working too closely with the police and misrepresenting evidence to the grand jury, AZfamily.com reported. Her law license was suspended in December 2023.
Several county officials admitted to misconduct, and the city and county confessed to widespread failures with the arrests. “The actions surrounding these events fall short of our standards and expectations,” the PPD said in a statement, adding that they will strive “to make continuous improvements.”
A large collection of the falsely charged protesters also joined to file a lawsuit against the City of Phoenix and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The county agreed to settle its half of the case last December for $6 million.
More than 40 felony protest cases were dismissed.
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