KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City Council member Brandon Ellington was charged Wednesday with assault after an alleged confrontation with an activist earlier this month.
Municipal Court records say Ellington “inflicted bodily injury or cause an unlawful offensive contact” by poking someone in the chest several times.
He was scheduled to be in court April 29.
Rodney Bland, a member of Freedom Inc., a Black political club in Kansas City, said Ellington confronted him outside a restaurant in the city’s 18th and Vine District on March 20.
He said he was surprised by the confrontation, during which Ellington physically threatened him. Bland reported the incident to police. He declined to provide further specifics.
Ellington denied the accusations, saying he never physically threatened anyone.
“I plan on engaging the court full fledged to ensure justice is done in all categories,” Ellington said.
Ellington is serving his first term on the Kansas City Council. He previously served in the Missouri House of Representatives.