WARREN, Mich. – Amondeuz Graham was on his way to get gardening supplies when he saw a confrontation between a Warren police officer and an Amazon driver.
He stopped to record it, what his cellphone video shows is the middle of the confrontation, not what started it. In the video you see the White officer with the Amazon driver, who is Black, on the ground.
“One of the ladies who lived at the residence came out and tried to explain to the cop, ‘that’s my friend’s house, he was just delivering a package’, like ‘I don’t what’s going on here, he’s just delivering a package,’” Graham said.
On the video you see the Amazon truck parked the wrong way on the street, but it’s unclear if that is what started this.
Ultimately, the Amazon driver is taken away. The video made the rounds on Facebook and Warren Mayor Jim Fouts originally posted this:
“There was an outrageous and unacceptable physical altercation with a Warren police officer involving a young African American delivery man for Amazon to a Warren home today. I have spoken with Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer and have ordered that this officer be terminated immediately. I have zero tolerance for this disgusting act against an innocent person. If the last two weeks have brought up anything, it is that bad behavior by ANY police officer will not be tolerated. And I’m calling on the Macomb County Prosecutor to look into this situation to see if either charges should be brought against this individual and the U.S. attorney if this was a civil rights violation. The policy of the warren police department and the training provided to every officer is to deescalate every situation. This officer did not follow policy or his training and is not fit to serve the citizens in Warren. BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
Dwyer asked Fouts to remove that post, because it violates the officer’s due process. Dwyer confirms an Internal Affairs investigation is underway and the officer has been placed on leave, which is protocol.
Dwyer also confirms there is audio and video from the officer’s camera from start to finish of the confrontation.