Heated clash between man, Lawrence police goes viral. What dash & body cams show happened

Yahoo

25-02-2025

A Lawrence police officer was placed on administrative leave and department-released body- and dash-camera footage depicting the events that prompted that action are making the rounds almost as quickly as the viral video that initially drew attention to the case.
The body camera videos along with court records illustrate a clearer picture of what transpired outside a Walmart on Pendleton Pike. Several videos posted on social media by bystanders showed a man on the ground while two Lawrence officers attempted to restrain him. One of the officers is seen kicking the man, stepping on the man's legs and ultimately using a Taser on the man. The other officer appears to punch the man in the head upwards of 10 times while he attempts to detain him.
Lawrence police brass said they have launched an internal investigation into the interaction, which occurred Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The encounter unfolded after a patrolling officer noticed a white Ford Explorer illegally parked in an emergency fire lane outside a Walmart on Pendleton Pike. Lawrence police officer Robert Santiago is seen on dash-camera footage driving near the entrance of the store, where three cars are in the fire lane. He parks behind the Ford Explorer.
The video then shows the driver of the Explorer stepping out of the car and walking toward the policeman's vehicle. The men exchange words that were unclear in the video the man is seen walking away. Police in an arrest affidavit said the man got out of his vehicle and "aggressively approached" the officer with his "fist balled up" before asking if the officer had a problem, according to the officer's description of the encounter.
The video shows one of the man's fists are "balled up," but the footage shows he is holding the keys to his vehicle in his closed hand.
Officer Santiago then got out of his car, prompting his body-worn camera to begin recording, and followed the man toward the Ford Explorer.
"Stop walking up on me, bro, matter of fact," Santiago is heard saying to the man.
"What you mean, 'walking up on you,' bro?'" the man asks.
"Go stand over there," Santiago responds. After the man replied he didn't have an ID, Santiago walked back into his squad car, where he asks for backup — requested before the recording began — to "step it up."
Body camera footage then shows Santiago getting back out of the vehicle, as the man is standing and speaking with a second officer, Morgan Lowe.
"I done met him before, a matter of fact. I did meet you. That's why you're trying to start this (expletive). But it's cool, bro. Hey, look, whenever you got your uniform off, holler at me then," the man says, as Santiago approaches.
Santiago is captured asking the man if that was a threat before telling the man to "say it again," and asking, "why don't you want to repeat yourself, you scared?"
That's when the man says he's, "not scared of nobody out here (expletive)," before telling the officer he needs to "chill out."
Santiago replies, "Check yourself ... Because I'm about to (expletive) your night up. I don't know who you think I am, but I'm that mother (expletive) who will (expletive) your night up."
The man could then be seen getting frustrated with the officer and says that he's "about to turn up."
"Turn up then," Santiago says to the man.
Shortly after, Santiago goes to detain the man.
When recalling this part of the encounter in the affidavit, officers said that as they attempted to handcuff the man, he snatched his arm away and struggled. The man pushed and grabbed the officers multiple times before he punched one of them, according to the affidavit.
Police in the affidavit continued that as the man and officers were struggling, the man "hip-tossed" one of the officers to the ground. Once on the ground, one of the officers was able to get on top of the man, while another officer attempted to taser the man. However, the man's clothes were too thick and the taser did not affect him. Officer Morgan Lowe watched the tussle with his gun pointed.
Santiago is seen on footage punching the man in the head and upper torso at least 10 times as he was on the ground while shouting commands to put his hand behind his back, according to court documents.
"Right (expletive) now," one of the officers is heard yelling in the footage as another officer tries to place handcuffs on him. "I will light your (expletive) up."
As the man lay on the ground, his sister − who had returned from shopping at that point − is heard on body camera footage asking what was going on and whether he'd be going to jail.
"Yeah he's going to jail," an officer responded, chuckling. He then turned his attention back to the man.
"You wanna (expletive) punch me?" The officer asked, calling him several expletives.
The man made several threatening statements toward officers at the scene, according to court documents and video footage.
"I swear to God, bro, I'm going to kill you," he said after being handcuffed.
An EMS crew arrived to check on Santiago and the man before he was taken to the Marion County jail.
Since the arrest, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office has declined to charge him until further investigation.
"We are awaiting the full investigative report from the Lawrence Police Department that includes what led up to the incident as well as its investigation into the officers' conduct prior to making a charging determination," said Michael Leffler, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office. "The investigation is ongoing.'
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Clash between man, Indiana officers goes viral. What dash & body cams show