By Mike Dwyer

mdwyer@joplinglobe.com

WEBB CITY, Mo. - Charlie Smith says he was targeted by a Webb City police officer and charged with assaulting a law-enforcement officer for one reason: He is black.

Smith, 40, a model and singer from Neosho, said he has never been treated like he was on Sept. 17, when he was arrested on the parking lot at the McDonald's restaurant in Webb City. Smith said he was just trying to help a couple of motorists in distress, but he ended up being charged with third-degree assault.

"I've never had this happen," Smith said. "With this policeman saying I attacked him. I was just saying, 'What in the world?'"

An incident report obtained by the Globe shows that Smith was arrested shortly after midnight on the McDonald's parking lot at MacArthur Drive and Madison Street. It states that Smith approached Webb City police officer Joseph Moore in an aggressive manner and raised his right hand - Smith told the Globe he's left-handed - leading Moore to arrest Smith and charge him with third-degree assault.

Smith is claiming that he was stopped only because he is black. He has brought his complaint to the attention of Webb City Mayor John Biggs.

Biggs has asked the city attorney and city prosecutor to begin an investigation into the arrest. He said the city officials could decide to call in officials from Jasper County to look into the matter.

He said he would rather not talk about the specifics of the incident until he knows more. He said Moore is still on duty.

The incident

Smith said he was on his way home after performing at an "American Idol" singing competition in Pittsburg, Kan. He stopped at the McDonald's, he said, because he saw two black people on the curb across the street, and he thought they were in distress and needed assistance.

Smith said that as he crossed the road to check if the people needed help, he began to hear sirens and realized that the people were waiting for the police, so he turned around to return to his car.

On the way back to his car, Smith said, Moore approached him and said that another officer had seen someone running from the scene across the street.

"They said they had seen some black guy running," Smith said.

A narrative of the arrest obtained from the Webb City Police Department says that Moore got out of his car and saw Smith walking into the McDonald's parking lot. Moore wrote that he began to run toward Smith, drawing his Taser as he crossed the road.