Four police officers were placed on leave after they were accused of having used excessive force to arrest a man during a domestic violence call in Mesa, Arizona, on May 23.
These videos show the arrest of 33-year-old Robert Johnson next to a lift at an apartment block near Main Street and Horne, ABC15 reported. The first clip, surveillance video from inside the building, shows an officer repeatedly punching Johnson after he reportedly refused to sit down.
Meanwhile, a second man, named in the report as 20-year-old Erick Reyes, can be seen sitting next to an adjacent wall. Police were originally called to detain Reyes after he was accused of harassing his ex-girlfriend at the block, the report said.
Police also released bodycam footage of the incident. The second clip shows the entire arrest from the perspective of one officer. The third clip shows the arrest from the perspective of another officer. The final clip shows the minutes after Johnson arrived at a local police station and was led into a cell.
Johnson was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct and hindering prosecution,. Reyes was charged with disorderly conduct-domestic violence and possession of drug paraphernalia, ABC15 reported.
Mesa police chief Ramon Batista told the news channel he launched an investigation into the arrests after being notified about them one week later.
According to the news channel, Johnson’s lawyers Attorney Joel Robbins and Attorney Benjamin Taylor released the following joint statement on the incident:
“On May 23rd, 2018, Robert Johnson was beaten by multiple Mesa Police officers while others looked on. Mr. Johnson was cooperative and following police instructions. Mr. Johnson was sitting peacefully against a wall when the assault began. He did not resist. The misconduct of these officers would have gone unnoticed if it had not been captured by surveillance videos at the apartment complex where the assault occurred.
“We hope and pray that the Mesa Police Department will accept responsibility for the misconduct of these officers. Mesa must take concrete steps to ensure that culpable officers are disciplined, retrained, or dismissed. The Mesa Police Department must develop a law enforcement culture that meets community and constitutional norms and ensures that police and citizens go home safely after police interactions.
“We plan on holding a press conference Thursday, June 7, 2018 to discuss this incident and the culture of violence at the Mesa Police Department.”
Meanwhile, the news channel reported, the Mesa Police Association released the following statement: "The Mesa Police Association represents several of the officers involved in this incident. We feel it was grossly inappropriate to release a portion of video with no audio that does not include the full context of the encounter. Furthermore, we do not understand why video is being released when an internal investigation has not been completed.
“It is important to understand that any use of force, when viewed, is difficult to watch and never looks “good”. Credit: Mesa Police Department via Storyful
