Outrage erupted online after five Indiana police officers were seen kneeling on a black man’s back while appearing to ignore his pleas as he repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” The incident occurred in Fort Wayne. It was alleged that the man started running after police began chasing him following an alleged car crash.
In the shocking video, five police officers were seen on top of the man’s back as he lay on the ground while they attempted to handcuff him. One officer also appeared to punch him in the face. The man could be heard repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” However, the officers appeared to ignore his pleas, with one of them telling him, “shut the [expletive] up.”
The officers continued trying to handcuff the man as he repeatedly begged them. One of the officers also continued yelling and cursing at him. The camerawoman, who was the mother of the man’s children, kept filming the arrest. An officer then appeared to threaten her, saying, “If you don’t want to be involved, you might want to [expletive] disappear!”
As the woman continued filming, the same officer told her, “you heard what I said.” At that point, three officers were still around the man and attempting to handcuff him. The man then said that he needed an ambulance. An officer, however, appeared to mock him by responding, “You need an ambulance? You ran from us.” More officers surrounded the man and some began cursing at him, while one officer even said, “You’re lucky you didn’t get more!” It was claimed that the man was arrested after the video ended.
Additional Details About Shocking Incident
The woman filming, named La Shay, later shared additional details online. In another video, she filmed the car that police believed had been involved in the incident. Based on the footage, La Shay and some viewers believed the vehicle did not appear to have any scratches or visible damage indicating that it had been involved in a crash.
La Shay also shared a screenshot of the charges against the father of her children. The charges included “resisting law enforcement -physical,” “leaving the scene of a crash -property damage,” and “habitual traffic violator.” In the post, La Shay addressed the Fort Wayne Police Department. “What damages were done other than seeing bird [expletive] in a few spots‼‼,” she wrote.
Adding to her criticism of the arrest, La Shay shared another post directly calling out the Fort Wayne Police Department. She demanded that the department release the full bodycam and chase footage. She contested the justification for the stop, writing, “He led yall dumb [expletive] right to me and once y’all realize y’all was right in-front of his house y’all looked at me and told all the other officers to be quiet,” before adding that she heard an officer say, “the only reason he pulled him over was bc he ran a stop sign.”
La Shay further challenged the officers’ use of force and their version of events. “So please come up off that evidence y’all do have,” she said. La Shay then claimed that “none of y’all suffered any [expletive] injuries.” She also claimed that police pursued him in their vehicles rather than on foot, stating, “as he was running on foot I watched yall drive y’all [expletive] cars to the [expletive] house none of ran on foot to chase him yall used them cars.”
Police Department Responds
The Fort Wayne Police Department later addressed the arrest and made claims that contradicted La Shay’s account. According to the department, the situation began after the man turned off his car lights. He then allegedly failed to stop when an officer activated the vehicle’s emergency lights. “The FWPD officer pursued the SUV with emergency lights and siren activated,” the department wrote.
“The driver put the SUV in reverse, got out and ran away. The SUV then rolled backwards crashing into the FWPD vehicle that was stopped behind it. The FWPD officer chased the suspect catching up to him in the 300 block of Butler where other FWPD officers were attempting to take the suspect into custody. After a brief struggle, FWPD officers were able to place the suspect into handcuffs,” the department added. It was also claimed that the suspect was later transferred to receive medical clearance.
While La Shay claimed that the officers were not injured, the department said otherwise. “Three FWPD officers suffered minor injuries during this incident,” they wrote. The incident is currently “under review by the FWPD Internal Affairs Division and the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.”
Viewers Outraged After Incident Involving Indiana Cops
Reacting online, many viewers expressed outrage after seeing how the Indiana police officers treated the black man. Some also believed that excessive force was used during the arrest. “Welcome to the United States of [expletive] KKK ‼! Don’t tell me this is the greatest nation in the world when White Supremacists with Badges still Hunt Humans ‼ This needs to end‼,” one person wrote. Another person said, “They are supposed to be the police, but they behave like vigilantes and enjoy terrorizing and mocking POC for [expletive] and giggles because they know they won’t be punished for it.”
More people criticized the officers over the arrest. One person wrote, “We’re turning into [expletive] monsters who are so unashamed that we proudly display our cruelty while being filmed. What is wrong with us? And how can we be healed?.” Others remembered George Floyd, with someone adding, “It really took 5 guys???We have another black man yelling he can’t breathe! You must not have heard about what happened when the last guy that said he couldn’t breathe.. He died.. cities were burnt to the ground.. never good change..”
The video also raised concerns about how arrests involving black individuals can become controversial. This is particularly when questions arise over the treatment they received. It further prompted discussion about police use of force and when that force may be considered excessive or to have crossed a line.
