DETROIT (WWJ) – A Detroit police officer has been suspended from duty after allegedly hitting a man in the face and causing him to hit his head on the ground during an investigation in Midtown Friday night.
The incident happened shortly before 7 p.m when an officer assigned to DPD’s Downtown Services Section was called to a business in Midtown for a disturbance. In a Sunday press release announcing the officer’s suspension, Chief James White did not identify the business involved.
During the officer’s response, he encountered a man in his 70s who “appeared to be in an intoxicated state,” according to White’s statement. The press release says someone who appears to be an employee of the business confirmed he had called the police “due to the disturbance another individual had been causing at the location.”
It was not immediately clear if the man in his 70s was the person causing the disturbance or another person. Officials did not disclose the exact nature of the disturbance.
White said the officer made multiple attempts to ask and then direct the person in question to leave the area, but he refused to comply.
Body-worn camera footage appears to show the person “strike the officer on the head,” according to White. The officer responded by “striking the individual in the area of the jaw.”
The man fell and is believed to have hit his head on the ground, according to the released statement. The extent of the man’s injuries and his current condition were not disclosed.
White says he and other senior members of DPD’s Management Team were promptly notified of the incident Friday night and investigators began gathering details surrounding the incident.
On Saturday after a “comprehensive briefing,” White made the decision to immediately suspend the officer involved. The officer’s name, age and years of service were not immediately released.
“My decision was influenced by concerns that, at the very least, the officer did not adequately de-escalate or disengage from the situation,” White said.
The investigation is being overseen by DPD’s Homicide Task Force, with Michigan State Police leading the effort. At the same time, DPD's Force Investigation Unit will conduct its own inquiry into the matter.
The investigation will encompass a “meticulous review of all available video evidence and other pertinent information” to determine whether the officer's actions were “reasonable” given the circumstances, White said.
The department is expected to release more information on the case in the coming days as the investigation unfolds.