Body cam shows Port Huron police officer's punch of intoxicated man in the face
By: A video of a man allegedly intoxicated interacting with police has gone viral for the wrong reasons.
"I'm not going to jail. I’m going to kick all four of your (expletives)," he says to them.
At that point, the police officer punches the man before taking him to the ground.
"I told y’all I was not going to (expletive) swing," said the man while he was being arrested.
"I’m not going to let you swing at me, Charles," the officer says.
Kevin Lindke is a social activist who just gained access to video of this incident from last November in Port Huron involving one of the city’s police officers.
"They were telling him no one is getting arrested, go take a walk, sober up, and then he hauls off and punches him in the mouth," said Lindke.
The activist believes this incident should have been made public right after it took place.
"I was as appalled as everybody else is," Lidke said. "In today’s climate, it’s very disheartening to see this happening with a police officer."
The Port Huron Police Department reviewed the incident in November and found that the officer's actions violated department policy.
An internal investigation also took place and at that time, the officer was placed on paid administrative leave.
"At the conclusion of the internal investigation, the officer involved was disciplined. The officer also received additional training in subject control and deescalation techniques."
But Lindke is also working on behalf of the man punched by the officer
"I have some attorneys who have contacted me about this, and they want to speak with him and initiate some civil litigation," he said.
But Lindke has concerns because the father of the police officer involved in this punching incident is a partner in the law firm which represents the city.
"To me, it is an obvious conflict of interest," said attorney Gary Fletcher.
The firm’s senior partner tells Fox 2 they just became aware of the incident this week and would not represent the city if a lawsuit were filed
Fletcher says he has seen the video
"Yes, and I don’t want to comment on my reaction to it," he said. "The video speaks for itself."