Tallahassee police officer placed on leave after video shows questionable takedown of suspect
A Tallahassee Police Department officer was placed on administrative leave after video taken by a bystander surfaced on social media showing him using questionable force on a suspect who allegedly left the scene of a traffic crash.
The encounter happened early Friday evening on the sidewalk at Saint Francis Street and Railroad Avenue. A 43-second video posted on Instagram shows Officer Shawn Wright pick up the suspect, a 27-year-old man, and flip him upside down before taking him down head-first and pinning him on the ground.
The bystanders who shot the video appeared shocked by what they saw. “Oh my God. They just threw him on the floor head first,” one person said. Another observed, “He wasn’t even fighting them.”
In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, Police Chief Lawrence Revell said that it appeared from the footage that the suspect never "hit the concrete ground at all."
“Anytime I see use of force — we’ve said repeatedly use of force (doesn’t) look pretty — I’m always concerned,” Revell said. “But my concern is simply to make sure that what we are seeing is within policy and procedure and state statute and meets the constitutional requirement of reasonableness.”
TPD later issued a statement saying the suspect was involved in a minor collision and left the scene. Witnesses gave officers video footage of the suspect and his vehicle and found him walking in the area.
"Upon attempts to detain the suspect, he resisted arrest and physical control was utilized to take him into custody," the department said. "No injuries were reported."
Revell said the department takes use-of-force issues “very seriously” but that he would reserve judgment on whether proper force was used “until I have all the facts in front of me.”
Body camera video posted
TPD posted footage on YouTube on Monday afternoon from both officers' body-worn cameras. The videos can be seen here and here.
Wright ordered the suspect to put his hand behind his back, but he responded by asking "Why?" Wright warned him: "Listen, if you pull away form me one more time, I'm going to take you to the ground. It's gonna hurt."
The man, who had a knife visible in his pants pocket, appeared stunned after the takedown. "Bro," he said. "Unnecessary."
"I don't like it when you pull away form me because I don't know what you're doing," Wright told the man. "Do you understand me?"
A few minutes after the incident began, the second officer asked the man, "Does anything on you hurt?"
"No," he said.
The incident unfolded around 7:30 p.m. after someone reported that the suspect crashed into his car and left the scene. The suspect, who was on foot when officers intercepted him, denied on camera that he ever hit the other person's car.
'Take that badge off': Bodycam reveals handcuffed man challenged TPD officer to fight at jail
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The man was cited for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and resisting an officer without violence, both misdemeanor offenses. He was taken to the Leon County Detention Facility and released on $250 bail. The Democrat generally doesn't identify people arrested for misdemeanors.
Wright was placed on administrative leave while an internal affairs investigation is conducted. Revell said the other officer did not use force and was not disciplined.
TPD planned to release more information on Tuesday.
“We’re going to handle (the investigation) quickly and be transparent,” Revell said.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee police officer on leave after questionable use of force
