A 21-year-old man was given a Spartan kick by an Ohio police officer while he was kneeling on the ground with his hands up, shocking video of the arrest shows.
Jaemiier McElroy, 21, fell backwards after being hit in the head by Officer Brandon Momirov’s foot on Saturday.
Police were responding to reports of an argument in the parking lot of Mahoning Manor. When Momirov ran to the scene, McElroy was surrounded by police with his hands up and on his knees.
Guangzhou police said the young man “appeared to be compliant” after being ordered to lie on the ground when the violent attack took place, according to Get to know us.
McElroy was taken to the hospital in “a lot of pain,” had severe swelling in his neck and face and suffered a concussion, said his attorney, Bobby DiCello. NBC News.
The young man, who was traumatised by the incident, was charged with resisting arrest. Two other men were also arrested on suspicion of “obstructing official duties” and resisting arrest.
Jaemiier McElroy, 21, (pictured kneeling), fell backward after being hit in the head by Officer Brandon Momirov’s foot on Saturday.
Guangzhou police said the young man “appeared to be compliant” after being ordered to get on the ground when the violent attack took place.
Two pistols and a backpack containing marijuana, scales and money were recovered at the scene, according to NBC News.
Body camera footage shows Momirov running toward a scene of screaming men, not slowing down for a second before striking McElroy with his foot.
Later in the video, as the others are being arrested, one asks: “Why are you kicking my brother like that? Is this crazy?”
The officer replied: “How many times did I tell you to get on the ground? I don’t mean any harm, just get on the ground.”
Another officer off-screen says, “If you don’t want to listen, that’s fine, but don’t be surprised when we get our hands on you.”
DiCello insisted that McElroy was not even part of the group.
McElroy (pictured) was taken to hospital in “a lot of pain”, has severe swelling to his neck and face and suffered a concussion.
“I think it’s a failure of leadership at every level,” DiCello told NBC News. “City leaders need to do something about this. They need to take swift and decisive action.
“They must – absolutely must – fire that officer.”
Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said the officer “will be held accountable” for “using force outside the parameters of our training.”
But DiCello doesn’t believe that, saying “there is a group of people in Canton who are law enforcement officers who treat ordinary civilians as enemy combatants.”
He also noted that several of his clients have faced violent police interactions since 2022.
“If this were in any other context, we would say this is a crime wave,” he told NBC News.
The community has been outraged by the video and Canton Mayor William Sherer II said he “understands that the community is looking for answers and wants immediate action.”
The young man, who was traumatized by the incident, was charged with resisting arrest. Two pistols and a backpack with marijuana, scales and money were recovered at the scene.
“However, there are protocols that need to be followed,” he said, according to WKYC.
“I want to reiterate that the behavior seen in the video is unacceptable. This behavior will not be tolerated. It is unfortunate that we continue to have these types of incidents that affect our entire police department.”
Hector McDaniel, president of the Stark County NAACP, said he was “shocked” and “alarmed” by the video and “very disappointed in the police response in the community.”
He blames the police for going “too far to the left,” especially in Guangzhou, and said they will focus on solutions that provide “assistance in terms of bringing the police in line with the written mission and goals that they already have.”
Kevin L’Hommedieu, chief councillor for the canton, said the city is working on creating a board that will look into these issues.
The board will meet quarterly and will consist of seven people appointed by the mayor to oversee the Canton Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau. McDaniel will be one of the people serving on the board, according to WKYC.
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