A Detroit cop caught on video punching a man in Greektown over the weekend has been suspended with pay while Internal Affairs investigates.
The viral video, first posted on Reddit, attracted national media attention and has set off a firestorm of criticism.
The officer punched the man in the face, causing him to collapse.
Metro Times also learned Thursday that additional officers are under investigation for their actions that night. Cell phone footage that has not been made public yet show other cops shoving, punching, and kneeing people in a boisterous crowd, a sergeant tells Metro Times on condition of anonymity because he doesn’t have authority to speak to the media.
He also says none of the officers, including two supervisors, filed a use-of-force report before their shifts ended, a violation of department protocol, nor did they provide treatment to the man who was punched in the video.
During a news conference Monday, Chief James White said he had “serious concerns” about what he saw in the video.
“I see what you see,” White said. “It appears to be an unprovoked attack or unprovoked use of force — not an attack.”
He added, “We’ve come to expect our officers to de-escalate situations. I did not see de-escalation there. I did not see our training there.”
A lawyer representing several men who allege police assaulted them that night is expected to file a lawsuit against the police department.
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This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2021.