Two Detroit police officers have been pulled from the streets and assigned to administrative duties for using excessive force during the arrest of an individual attempting to access his own vehicle.
The incident occurred at approximately 5 pm on Monday when law enforcement officers observed Larry Morrison, aged 34, trying to gain entry to a vehicle located on State Fair Ave in the eastern part of the city.
Footage circulated on social media portrays a situation where multiple officers grappled with Mr. Morrison in an attempt to handcuff him on the porch of a property, as reported by Fox2Detroit. As a crowd gathered, someone can be heard shouting, “He was trying to get into his own car, let him go.”
During the altercation, Mr. Morrison managed to break free from the officers, with one of them delivering a punch from behind and several others struggling to subdue him.
The tension continued to mount, leading to one of the officers drawing their firearm. Ultimately, Mr. Morrison was taken into custody. His family has claimed that he was released without charges and had to seek medical treatment for his injuries.
According to Detroit Police Department deputy chief Melissa Gardner, two officers have been reassigned to administrative duties while the arrest undergoes investigation by the department’s Professional Standards Bureau, as disclosed by ABC7 News. The investigation will involve the examination of body-worn camera footage and videos posted on social media to determine if further training or disciplinary actions are necessary.
Ms. Gardner also mentioned that Mr. Morrison had declined to provide his name to the officers, and the officer who drew his weapon pointed it downward.
He locked his keys in his own car. He was trying to get it unlocked with a coathanger.
Police ignored everyone on the scene and went straight to escilation. pic.twitter.com/IVpaLW217u— 🥀_ Imposter_🥀 (@Imposter_Edits) September 20, 2023
A family member, Marzett Jackson, seen pleading with the officers in the video, informed ABC 7 that Mr. Morrison had locked his keys inside his car and accused the officers of responding with excessive aggression. Mr. Jackson stated, “This entire situation could have been avoided if they had approached him properly and asked if this was his car before aggressively intervening,” during his interview with the network.
Chiquita Williams, Mr. Morrison’s aunt and the owner of the residence where the arrest occurred, stated that her nephew had experienced difficulty breathing during the encounter. Another relative, Jason Price, expressed gratitude for the actions of backup officers who helped de-escalate the tense situation.
