Officers under review after brutal arrest of 2 men go viral
"MPD officers used excessive force to make an arrest," a DC councilmember said.
Several police officers in Washington D.C. are facing allegations of police brutality and excessive force after video of a brutal arrest of two men went viral and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is now investigating the incident as city leaders and activists call for swift action from D.C. Police.
Police responded to a report of possible gunshots in Southeast D.C. at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night when police say they located a stolen unoccupied vehicle with visible shell casings inside and the motor still running. Authorities tell ABC News, “a group of subjects approached the officers while they were searching the vehicle. A male in the group threatened 'to smack' a female police officer. In response, an officer pushed the male against a fence and took him into custody.”
The two men arrested were later identified as Ty'Jon “TJ” Jackson, 23, and Tejuan “TC” Colman, 30.
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White, who arrived on the scene an hour after the incident began told reporters on Friday, “this incident was totally unacceptable on so many levels.”
He noted that no one should threaten “to smack” an officer. However, he notes, that shouldn’t be the reasoning for an aggressive arrest.
“If a guy threatens a female officer, he does not deserve to be kicked in his upper body or face, right? One doesn't equal the other. I think they have enough training. We have enough protocols, policies, and procedures to address situations and that's not it. And it's totally unacceptable. So if the police department is using that as an excuse to escalate violence, that is just not acceptable.”
White said in a press release earlier on Friday that “there is no doubt MPD officers used excessive force to make an arrest. The cell phone footage clearly shows an officer slamming TJ into a fence before throwing him to the ground and kicking him. The video also shows a second individual, TC, being forcibly taken into custody by officers.
White, however, did not shy away from noting that the incident began after shots were heard in the community. He told reporters, "there's far too many shootings in our community. And for those who are outraged about the police brutality, we should be, but we must be equally as outraged about the ongoing shootings in our community each and every day."
Police added in a statement that the preliminary review of the body-worn camera footage shows “the man was being taken into custody [as] another subject began assaulting and strangling officers."
DC police said both “individuals were transported to an area hospital for medical evaluation and have since been released back to MPD custody and will be presented in court today.”
Tejuan Colman’s mother, Aminah Saladin, told reporters on Friday that the situation “was heart wrenching, very disappointing. Anyone else could have been shot during that time. Their total focus was on a car that no one was actually in.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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