5 St. Paul Officers Fired for Not Intervening in Assault

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- St. Paul's police chief has fired five officers for allegedly failing to intervene in an assault at a business.

Police Chief Todd Axtell said Thursday that officers are expected to intervene when a violent act occurs in their presence and to tell the truth.

Axtell announced the firings at a news conference. He says the community "deserves to know that its St. Paul police officers will always do the right thing and to tell the truth."

Reports say the officers responded to a business where a disturbance was reported. The chief says while the officers were there, an employee of the business assaulted patrons, and the officers did not take action.

He says state law prohibits him from naming the officers.