Following the March 26, 2019 press conference held by Interim Chief David Kiddle, the Grand Rapids Police Department is releasing the Body Worn Camera (BWC) and In-Car Video (ICV) of two recent traffic stops that resulted in arrests and uses of force. Due to the sheer number of hours of video (over 10 hours between the officers and cruisers at both scenes), here is a compilation of the best angles to provide an overview of the arrests.
The first segment of the video shows the ICV view of an officer who initiated a traffic stop while investigating a fight call in the 100 block of Labelle St SE on March 25, 2019. It was discovered a male passenger in the vehicle had a warrant and when he was advised to exit the vehicle with his hands in view, he refused the officer’s commands.
The man had to be forced out of the vehicle and resisted the officer’s attempts to place him into custody. The individual and officer fell to the ground, where the man began to scratch at the officer’s face, neck and throat. He also attempted to gain access to the officer’s weapons and bit the officer on his tricep. Several occupants of the vehicle exited and attempted to interfere with the officer’s attempts to arrest the individual, causing the second officer to split his attention between his partner fighting with the individual and keeping the others away. Both the primary officer and male passenger received minor injuries and were treated at an area hospital.
The second segment of video shows the BWC view of an officer who made a traffic stop on March 17, 2019, around 11:30 PM in the area of California St NW and National Ave NW. The officer made the traffic stop for speeding as the driver pulled into the driveway of a relative’s residence. The driver refused to cooperate with the officer by providing a driver’s license or his name. The officer advised the driver that he was under arrest for driving without a license and refusing lawful commands.
The driver refused to exit the vehicle and the officer pulled him out by force. The officer utilized pepper spray to attempt to remove the driver. While the driver struggled with the officer, a backup officer delivered hand strikes to the driver’s leg and another officer deployed his Taser. The driver was subsequently placed into custody and lodged at the Kent County Correctional Facility. A second angle of this arrest by the assisting officer delivering the hand strikes is also included.
As with all uses of force, both arrests are being reviewed by the Internal Affairs Unit, Labor Relations Department, and the Chief of Police.
Faces and names have been redacted from the video to protect privacy, and profanity that may be offensive for some viewers has been muted out.
