DETROIT – On Monday, Detroit Interim Police Chief, James White, said he has serious concerns about a video showing an officer assaulting a man over the weekend in Greektown.
The video shows an officer hit a man in the face while working to break up a large brawl.
Original Story: Viral video captures Detroit police officers in massive brawl in Greektown
The action of the officers isn’t consistent with their training.
White was careful to point out the officers involved deserve due process and they remain on the job with their status unchanged.
Still, internal affairs is on the case and there is a possibility of criminal charges against one or more of the cops.
The video first appeared on social media Saturday night.
While the eye is drawn to the officer pointing, it is another officer behind him who actually lands the right handed punch.
The man in the Tigers jersey obviously so stunned he needed to be propped up by the officer who hit him as he sat in the middle of the street.
“I have some serious concerns as to how that was handled. We’ve come to expect our officers to de-escalate situations. I did not see de-escalation there, I did not see our training there. I’m looking at all the video assets involved in this incident,” said White.
There is business security, police body cam and dash cam video.
After receiving that haymaker punch, the man hit remained seated, leaning on the officer’s knees and the chief says he was not arrested.
“I do have serious concerns,” said White.
For at least a year now, Greektown’s weekend night crowds have occasionally turned violent and the reason the officers were there Saturday night was to break up a fight that also ended up on social media.
Late Monday afternoon another video of the scene shot by a different bystander appears and the man whom the officer punched is seen swinging at police at what appears to be an earlier time in the evening.
“The officer does deserve due process. We have to take some time and look at everything,” said White.
White says internal affairs will be looking into the entire matter trying to figure out the exact chain of events.