GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Police Department is investigating a Monday evening incident in which an officer was bitten during a struggle with one of several suspects stopped following a reported fight on the city's Southeast Side.
Video taken by bystanders was posted to social media of the incident, but only showed a "snippet'' of what happened, said David Kiddle, acting police chief for the city of Grand Rapids.
Two officers and five suspects were involved in the initial incident before more officers arrived to help, Kiddle said.
It started when police were called to a report of a group of people fighting and breaking windows on LaBelle Street, east of South Division Avenue. When officers arrived about 8:45 p.m., the caller said the group left in a black Ford Explorer.
Police located and stopped the Explorer, which contained five people. One of the five had an outstanding arrest warrant, police said.
When an officer told the man about the warrant, he "became uncooperative and a struggle ensued," Kiddle said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
"The individual was taken from the vehicle and physically resisted the officer, causing them both to fall on the ground.''
The man "called to those in the vehicle for assistance and also grabbed at the officer’s face and his duty belt,'' Kiddle said.
During the scuffle, the suspect scratched and squeezed the officer's face, neck and throat and bit the officer in the arm, Kiddle said. The bite wound required medical treatment.
Others exited the vehicle and tried to interfere with the arrest, Kiddle said. At that point, only two officers were on the scene.
A cellphone video shows an officer striking the resisting suspect in the leg, which Kiddle described as a “distraction and pain technique to try and get the individual under control.’’
“At that time he was still actively resisting the officer who was trying to lay on top of him until additional officers could arrive,'' Kiddle said. "At the same time he’s dealing with four additional people who have bailed out of the vehicle and are now forcing themselves upon the officer. And his partner is on the ground with the suspect.''
The responding unit called for backup; the man on the ground was eventually subdued and arrested.
Two of the people in the car were arrested for outstanding warrants.
The man who was the focus of the arrest was also charged with resisting and obstructing an officer causing injury and attempting to disarm a police officer.
Both the man arrested and the officer sustained minor injuries. Four of the five occupants were charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer.
"As with any incident involving the use of force during an arrest, it is being reviewed by the Grand Rapids Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit," Kiddle said.
The dash cam and body camera footage will be released by GRPD when available, he said.
This is the third police-related incident in three weeks that caused a stir after being posted to social media. Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack shared video of Monday's incident on his Facebook page.
Kiddle said the video being shared on social media from Monday only captured a few seconds of an event that lasted longer than 15 minutes.
"You see a lot of cell phone videos and people are out there trying to record," he said. "There may be a trust issue with certain components of our community, and we are certainly working on that with a variety of different methods."
The department's press conference can be seen here:
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