Dashcam video captures brutal police beating of man near Detroit
- 9 years ago
A dashcam video that captured the brutal beating of a black man shows Floyd Dent, 57, sprawled on the street as a police officer had him in a chokehold in Inkster, Michigan, punching Dent in the head over and over.
Dent said he told the officer the same thing Eric Garner, a New York City resident, said before Garner was placed in a chokehold by a New York Police Department officer and later died: "I can't breathe."
The video, only recently released, seems to show Dent's car rolling through a stop sign on Jan. 28. The police, following right behind, flip on their lights. Dent doesn't pull over immediately, though he seems to keep a steady pace before eventually doing so.
Inkster Officer William Melendez appears to have his gun drawn as he approaches the car door. Dent opens the door, though it's unclear why, as there is no audio. Melendez and another officer then drag Dent to the ground, where Melendez puts him in a chokehold and starts to punch him. Before long, a small parade of officers arrived at the scene.
Melendez said he began to follow Dent's vehicle after Dent parked at a hotel, went inside, and came out soon after, according to The Associated Press. He said he pulled Dent over after he rolled through a stop sign, and that when he approached Dent's vehicle, Dent threatened to kill him. The officers also said they found a bag of crack cocaine in the vehicle.
Dent, who was reportedly unarmed, denied there were drugs in the car. He also said he was simply trying to defend himself from Melendez's blows.
Melendez has reportedly been accused of planting weapons and stealing drugs, money and guns from suspects in the past, when he worked as an officer in Detroit. He was sued four times for using abusive force as a Detroit officer, and lawsuits against him have cost the city more than $1 million, according to a Los Angeles Times article from 2003.
Dent says he went to the hospital and was treated for broken ribs as well as having "blood on his brain" and other injuries, The Associated Press reports.
State police in Michigan are set to investigate the brutal arrest and the Inkster department will do so internally as well, Inkster Police Chief Vicki Yost said.
Dent said he told the officer the same thing Eric Garner, a New York City resident, said before Garner was placed in a chokehold by a New York Police Department officer and later died: "I can't breathe."
The video, only recently released, seems to show Dent's car rolling through a stop sign on Jan. 28. The police, following right behind, flip on their lights. Dent doesn't pull over immediately, though he seems to keep a steady pace before eventually doing so.
Inkster Officer William Melendez appears to have his gun drawn as he approaches the car door. Dent opens the door, though it's unclear why, as there is no audio. Melendez and another officer then drag Dent to the ground, where Melendez puts him in a chokehold and starts to punch him. Before long, a small parade of officers arrived at the scene.
Melendez said he began to follow Dent's vehicle after Dent parked at a hotel, went inside, and came out soon after, according to The Associated Press. He said he pulled Dent over after he rolled through a stop sign, and that when he approached Dent's vehicle, Dent threatened to kill him. The officers also said they found a bag of crack cocaine in the vehicle.
Dent, who was reportedly unarmed, denied there were drugs in the car. He also said he was simply trying to defend himself from Melendez's blows.
Melendez has reportedly been accused of planting weapons and stealing drugs, money and guns from suspects in the past, when he worked as an officer in Detroit. He was sued four times for using abusive force as a Detroit officer, and lawsuits against him have cost the city more than $1 million, according to a Los Angeles Times article from 2003.
Dent says he went to the hospital and was treated for broken ribs as well as having "blood on his brain" and other injuries, The Associated Press reports.
State police in Michigan are set to investigate the brutal arrest and the Inkster department will do so internally as well, Inkster Police Chief Vicki Yost said.