"Bite him" Police body cam footage shows alleged assault by Sheffield police officers
By: An attorney for a Sheffield man claims Sheffield Police Department Officers assaulted his client at his home.
Newly obtained body cam footage shows officers grabbing Marvin Long and a K9 biting him on June 17, 2021.
The footage started with Long and a Sheffield Officer exchanging words while he was standing in the road in front of his home looking on at an unrelated arrest.
A separate body cam footage shows officers following Long to his porch (the timeline between the first video of the unrelated arrest and the video of the incident on the porch is unclear). After another exchange of words, officers moved in to arrest Long.
As they approached, Long clung to the rails on his front porch as officers tried to pry him off. While on the ground, Long told officers he owned the house, this is when viewers can hear and see the officers telling their K9 Unit to “bite him.”
“This is a crime against humanity,” Long’s attorney, Harry Daniels, said. “This is something that should never happen anywhere.”
Daniels said the police charged his client with obstruction and resisting arrest. He said that was unfounded because Long owned the property and did not need to speak to the officers.
Two of the arresting officers were Lieutenant Max Dotson and Sergeant Nick Risner. Four months later, the two officers were involved in a deadly shooting with Brian Martin. Risner died in the line of duty, but Dotson was saved by his bulletproof vest. Daniels says they should have been off the force after the incident with long.
“This was sadistic in all measures of the word,” says Daniels. “There was nothing good out of this, and those officers to be allowed to remain on the force. That’s the condoning, is basically saying we condone these officers.”
WAFF 48 asked Long’s attorney why the footage is being released now, considering Long’s trial on the arrest begins next month. Daniels assured the video is imperative for the well-being of surrounding civilians.
“This is not a matter of seeking some monetary damages,” Daniels said. “This is about seeking justice and ensuring that you [won’t] be the next person that’s attacked or possibly killed by law enforcement. (...) If we don’t band together and support one another when our constitutional rights have been violated, and we don’t check those who are responsible for protecting this earth, then nobody’s rights will be protected.”
Long was charged with Resisting Arrest and Obstruction of Justice, but the obstruction charge has already been dropped. He is expected to be in court on June 6 for his trial.