Detriot police officials are reviewing a viral video of officers tussling with a Black man in front of a home as they attempt to arrest him after he allegedly tried to get into his own vehicle after locking his keys inside.
Witnesses claim that the officers unlawfully detained the man, wrestling him down to be handcuffed. The department officials say the body camera footage shows the officers took appropriate action after witnessing the man trying to break into a car on the street. The probe is to assess whether or not the cops’ use of force was excessive or appropriate for the situation.
Detroit Police Deputy Chief Melissa Gardner said there is an ongoing investigation and that the department wants to be transparent. In a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 19, she said the detained man, who is in his 30s, used a coat hanger to try to break into a car on the 14900 block of East State Fair.
In a six-minute Facebook Live video broadcast on Sept. 18 around 5:30 p.m., the officers are seen roughing up a man. Off-camera voices criticized the officers, claiming they acted hastily when the man was not committing a crime.
Officers attempted to handcuff the man, who was wearing a Black Lives Matter hoodie after he ran onto a porch of a house. He resisted them, which swiftly escalated the altercation. One officer was even seen on the footage pummeling the man as they grabbed him.
