GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A fight outside McFadden's bar Sunday ended with police using a stun gun to subdue a man before arresting him, and cell phone video is raising questions about whether or not appropriate force was used.
We took the video to Grand Rapids Police Lt. Pat Merrill, who said this is only a short clip that doesn’t represent the totality of what happened during the fight. He said the suspect assaulted the officer prior to being tased.
“Yeah, hands are exposed; whether that person was surrendering after already assaulting an officer and resisting a second officer would be something you would want to talk about, what their intent was at that moment,” Merrill said.
Three total arrests were made that night, but, Merrill said, the other two people were not tased.
Officers arrived to the scene for reports of a fight as the bar closed for the night, Merrill said. That's when Shaylon King, 22, allegedly brought an officer to the floor and repeatedly punched him in the head. Eventually, King was tased, Merrill said.
Every time an officer with the Grand Rapids Police Department uses force, there is an internal review, which is underway, Merrill said.
So far none of the three suspects have filed any charges claiming police wrongdoing.
“(Officers) did an excellent job with the situation they were confronted with,” Merrill said.
None of the three men arrested nor the officers were hospitalized. Police say they are also investigating other video of the fight that was captured that night.
