Seems to be

Lansing, Michigan (Wlns) -6 News received a surveillance video about two young men’s pepper spraying event At the end of August it looks like Challenge for the official narrative from the Eastern Lansing Police Department.

According to the police report on September 26, they detained two young men on August 24. After “they watched physical violence” and both men waited in line outside the popular restaurant in the East Lansing Center. But a lawyer for one of the men says a restaurant‘S security footage indicates that his client behaves peacefully in an attempt to calm his friend and remove him from the situation.

Defense attorney Jack Rucker provided a video for 6 news research. He says the video had an Eastern Lansing city, but it was not released on September 26th. As part of public documents and videos related to an event.

“My position illuminates it and contradicts the story that was arranged about the event, and that’s why it was not released,” said Rucker. He represents 21 -year -old Lonnie Smith, one of the men arrested for the event.

6 News Research on Friday contacted Jennifer Brown, head of ELPD, to a few questions about a safety video.

Carrie Sampson, Director of City Communication, replied email. By mail.

“We are not commenting on this case anymore,” she wrote.

Smith and other participating man 22-year-old Mason Woods were accused of misconduct of fighting the 54-B District Court in East Lansing on August 25th. Woods was additionally accused of misconduct that resisted, obstacles and / or obstructed by the officer.

September 26th. In a press release, police describe Smith and Woodso arrest.

Read September 26

Elpd News is released

Several ELPD officials responded to a crowd where police say they were watching physical violence between Smith and Woodso.

Police say officers have released many famous verbal teams at the scene, trying to dispel the crowd and dispel the situation, but despite these repeated legitimate orders, Smith and Woods continued to ignore them and actively engage in physical admirations.

In response to violent confusion, the police say the officer has deployed Oleoreesin Capsicum (OC) spray, an immortal tool for impairing and stopping further battles.

See East Lansing Body Camera Videos

What shows a tracking video

Rucker said the surveillance video from the camera at the Dave’s hot chicken entrance contrasts with a police statement. There is no sound in the video.

Woods, according to Rucker, waited in line to go to the chicken inn when an argument began. The lawyer said Woods was in line, but others tried to get to the restaurant with him. This, according to Rucker, causes mainly verbal confrontation.

During this admiration, Smith can be seen in the lobby outside the restaurant and trying to get your friend.

“They have some constant annoyance. Lonnie will now try to bypass their hands around Mason to try to get it physically out of that situation,” said Rucker. “This is his goal and purpose. And you can see that he has very calm behavior. He does not shout. He does not seek. He does not retreat to anyone. He just tries to pull his friend out of there.”

The surveillance video then shows the officers of the Eastern Lansing Police Department, intervening and deploying the pepper spray against Woods, Smith and others in the crowd.

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“Radically different”

Criminal Justice Professor David Carter, Michigan State University, earlier said 6 news research that based on body camera videos, Pepper Spray installation Seemed to be justified; However, when he saw the newly received observation video, he changed his analysis.

He said the tracking video shows a “radically different” situation than police body camera videos.

“There were at least one, maybe two other officials who could help control the situation,” Carter said. “It seemed to me that the officer had just entered, spraying the pepper spray without really trying to understand the dynamics.”

The professor said the officer had more information before deploying the pepper spray.

The officer who deployed the pepper spray was Andrew Lyon, who did not identify any unique information about the situation or related persons supporting the use of the chemical.

In his police report, Lyon wrote: “Ro [responding officer] He watched the subjects were increasingly upset and the fight was growing. RO is currently deploying her PCA 3 things that participated in physical admiration. ‘

Carter notes that a body chamber video reveals the official’s perspective, but security footage reveals a broader picture of the situation.

Rucker said Lyon had no idea of ​​what happened when he entered the stage.

“He doesn’t see what’s going on. All he sees is another officer trying to talk to people trying to avoid the escalate. He doesn’t give it to her. He doesn’t ask what’s going on. He’s not giving any teams,” said Rucker.

“He just enters and sprays – he walks and wears a coincidence that I think is deeply, deeply related to how it breaks this fight with this pepper spray. This fight is how it interrupts this situation with this pepper spray is how someone will face two fighting dogs.

In addition, Carter said the use of pepper spray seemed “a bit reckless.”

Rucker agrees.

“He recklessly appreciates how he stationes this pepper spray. So I don’t know if the Eastern Lansing failed to teach him how to use it before giving him a dangerous chemical agent, or he wouldn’t have taken such training because he has a pepper spray and he intends to use it as appropriate.”

“It is not at all justified for this use of force in this way. It is completely behind the pale and completely repulsive amendment to the Constitution and the Fourth Constitution.”

Distance concern associated with pepper spray

The distance between pepper spray canister and Smith’s face is also concerned, Rucker said.

“All the studies I can find properly use that spray is that it should not be deployed in less than three feet. If you are too close, you risk pepper spraying is in two. There is a hydraulic needle effect that this particular brand and pepper spray model have a major damage.”

“You see it almost directly into the eye of my client. He grabs all this spray. He takes it more. He has a higher dose than any other in the area. And he was not even the person who caused any Rucas. The lesion he suffered and he was absolutely able to keep, was only a centimeters further into a direct impact on his eye. the blow.

A list of less deadly weapons has been approved The ELPD identifies the spray used as the Def-Tech / Sabre (PCA, MK9 and MK46) “.

Sabre is a manufacturer that produces this equipment and pepper spray. E -mail In the post, they explain the reason for at least three feet distance to the 6 news research when installing their product.

“The first reason is the maintenance of pepper spray because officials are accessible by hand when using less than 3 feet distances. There is also a very low chance of returning to the officer. There is a very low chance of injuring soft tissue when used in 3 feet, though we never heard of such an event.”

“Considered to be a sober” statement

Rucker also takes an exception to the police description that Smith was intoxicated with the incident.

“The Eastern Lansing Police was falsely stated that they released him when he was sober, that they put him in a drunken reservoir before they settled,” he said. “I want to emphasize that Lonnie Smith was sober that night.”

September 26th. In a press release from the department, police said “Smith was considered sober and later released that day.”

However, the footage of the body chamber and the police message challenges this statement.

“Get PBT,” heard a Lyon saying in a video camera footage released by ELPD. However, the footage of the body chamber does not indicate that the respiratory product is performed. The police report does not contain information about breathing or results, which, according to Rucker, is “very unusual”.

Additional body camera footage reveals that Smith’s time is about 60 minutes. These include pepper spraying, handcuffs transported to prison, search, search, reserved and eventually released a ticket and released.

Did the race play an important role?

2024. The data show that the Eastern Lansing Police Department participated in a disproportionate number events related to the use of EFD officers’ force against black and African -American people in the city. June and July The data also showed a disproportionate number of black and African -American people who are subject to force.

Rucker said Woodso and Smith’s race seem to play an important role.

“Their reaction and the time of short time before they decide to deploy less fatal, are so shockingly short that the only conclusion we can do is that they rushed to the decision that they saw a group of African American men, causing a particular berry and jumped to make it horrible,” said Rucker.

“And they did so without stopping trying to avoid the situation, without stopping more information. If they had stopped and asked what was going on, the situation would not have happened, because at that time my client, Mr. Smith, could have pushed his friend out of that situation. It was my position and I think it is very clear that Mr. Mason Woods.”

WLNS 6 news journalist Zack aths contributed to this report.

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