Tuscaloosa Police Yank Students From Apartment, Beat And Shock One With Stun Gun

All of this happened over a noise complaint.
YouTube

A series of videos posted online over the weekend shows Tuscaloosa police officers dragging three individuals, all University of Alabama students, from an apartment. They struck one with a club and used a stun gun on him.

The Tuscaloosa Police Department said the incident happened just after 3 a.m. on Saturday, and was "a result of a loud music call." The police department said late Sunday night that the incident is under an internal investigation.

On Monday, Tuscaloosa Chief of Police Steven D. Anderson told The Huffington Post that three officers have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

Several videos that are circulating online show perspectives from both inside and outside the apartment where the incident took place. The videos identify that at least some of the men present belong to the Sigma Chi fraternity. The Huffington Post spoke to the individuals who posted the videos online; they said the videos were shot by students and given to them by individuals who did not wish to be identified out of concern for reprisals.

Police records show three UA students were arrested: a male sophomore on charges of harassment, obstruction and resisting arrest, a second male student and a female senior who were booked on harassment and obstruction charges.

[WARNING: Some may find the videos below disturbing.]

In one of the videos, a man tells a police officer he is not allowed into his apartment without a search warrant. The officer argues with others inside the apartment. When the man at the door turns to walk away, the officer reaches for him. Then, the officer grasps the shirt of another man in the apartment, telling him he's under arrest for grabbing his arm. The officer holds the shirt for close to a minute, telling the person to leave the apartment, while other individuals repeatedly ask what he's being arrested or detained for.

The officer doesn't respond but suddenly runs inside, followed by several other officers. They quickly pull into the hallway the man whose shirt the cop was holding onto. He is shocked by a stun gun while another officer strikes him several times with a club.

Officers then drag a second man and a young woman out of the apartment and force them to the ground. A video posted on YouTube by Total Frat Move shows the perspective of the woman who is yanked outside as she screams "I didn't do anything" several times.

When another woman who is still in the apartment asks why there are so many officers, one cop shouts, "Shut your fucking mouth." When he walks away, someone in the apartment says, "I'm glad this is all on video." The officer responds, "I don't give a shit."

At the end of the longest video, which lasts more than four minutes, an officer tells the individuals who are still inside the apartment to go upstairs or they will be arrested too.

Tuscaloosa police did not respond to a request for comment or further details. The department said in a statement on Sunday, "A full investigation of the circumstances that are depicted in these videos will be conducted and all appropriate measures taken to ensure the integrity of the Tuscaloosa Police Department in serving the citizens of Tuscaloosa."

This story has been updated to note that three officers are on leave during the internal investigation of the arrests.

______

Tyler Kingkade is a reporter based in New York, covering higher education. You can reach him at tyler.kingkade@huffingtonpost.com, or on Twitter: @tylerkingkade.

______

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot