The following information was released by the Wickliffe Police Department: (Scroll down for video)
We at the Wickliffe Police Department are aware of a video circulating that shows one of our officers using a taser against a male suspect. The video was taken by a friend or family member of the suspect. The incident occurred in February of this year, but has been widely circulated in the last week or so, likely as a result of the heightened scrutiny of police conduct. We have received numerous FB messages regarding this incident, and; as a result, decided to take the unusual step of releasing the dash and body camera video of the incident, as they are longer than the video clip being circulated, and we believe tell a fuller story of the encounter. We are publishing this to be accountable and transparent. We warn you that the suspect and a second male use graphic language.
The attached videos largely speak for themselves, but we feel some context is important:
While some have claimed this incident was over failing to use a turn signal; that is misleading. The incident did begin with a traffic stop, but the involved suspect was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office on multiple felony warrants for failing to register as a sex offender and violating probation. He also had a suspended driver’s license.
As can be seen in the videos, an officer tells the suspect to stop, get back into his car, show his hands or get on the ground more than 25 times, but the male ignores the commands of the officer.
When her verbal commands aren’t working, the officer uses her hands to try and take control of the suspect, but he pulls away multiple times.
A second male comes out of the apartment while the officer is still alone and trying to control the driver. The female officer weighs about 120 pounds, while the two males combined likely weigh in excess of 400 pounds.
A second officer arrives and tells the male five times to get on the ground, and also warns him that he will be tased. The suspect still does not comply. Only at that point is the male tased. The officer delivered one shock from the taser to the suspect, not multiple ones as some have claimed.
After the suspect was in custody, he was taken to Lake West Hospital for medical attention, and was treated and released back into police custody on the same date. The day after this incident, the suspect appeared in court and pled guilty to obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to 30 days in the Lake County jail on the charges. The second male in the video was released without charges after he calmed down.
Finally, this use of force was reviewed by our command staff and deemed to be in line with established guidelines. Force is never pretty and can be upsetting to watch, but the reality is that on occasion, officers are left with little choice but to use force to affect an arrest.
