Photo: Moment RF
The Columbus Police Department is under fire after a video showed a baby being pinned to a vehicle during a Black man's arrest, per the Columbus Dispatch.
Officers were writing the man a ticket because his SUV was blocking a bus stop when the controversial arrest unfolded last month. Video showed one of the officers pinning the man to the side of the SUV, trapping the baby he was holding in between himself and the vehicle. The footage sparked outrage online, prompting Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant to release police video of the incident.
Dashboard camera footage showed an officer pulling up behind the SUV blocking the bus stop. A woman accompanying the man handed him a baby as the officer approached the pair.
In the officer's body camera footage, the law enforcement official said he would be writing a ticket after the two failed to follow his order to move the car. The man then stepped out onto the street and told the officer to "go ahead and do it" as he was holding the baby.
The officer told the man to get out of the street before pushing him toward the sidewalk. Authorities later pinned the man against the SUV and pulled his arms behind his back.
In a statement, Bryant said the officer ordered the man to get out of the street "for everyone's safety." When he didn't comply, the officer arrested the man, to which he resisted, according to Bryant.
During the arrest, the woman told officers that the man "did nothing wrong" and asked to take the baby. Another officer grabbed the baby before the man was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. He was ultimately charged with obstructing official business, which is a fifth-degree felony punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500.
Watch the video here.
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