Vegas police says footage shows cops justified in detaining Michael Bennett
The Las Vegas Police Department believes body cam footage shows cops were justified in their actions to detain Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett.
Bennett publicly stated that on Aug. 26 he was wrongfully detained by Las Vegas police. He was in town for the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight. Bennett said he and others mistakenly heard gunshots at a casino, so he ran away from the sound, as many others did. He said officers singled him out for “being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time” and used excessive force.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Friday the officers had reasonable suspicion to detain him, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Footage showed Bennett running out of the casino, as were others, and then police going after him and forcing him into a police car while he asked what he did wrong. Three officers in the footage identify Bennett, two hispanic officers and one black officer. Police said during the encounter they were looking for a possible shooter.
“I believe they acted appropriately and professionally,” Lombardo said of the officers.
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TMZ had previously posted video of Bennett being held on the ground by an officer as he was asking the officer what he did wrong. That detaining officer held Bennett for 10 minutes, the Review-Journal said, and did not have his body camera on.
The Las Vegas Police Department has maintained that race had nothing to do with Bennett being detained. Bennett’s lawyer John Burris said earlier this month that he was advising Bennett of his options, including filing a federal civil rights lawsuit.
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