New Haven police are conducting an internal affairs investigation surrounding an arrest of a man on Friday.
Officers responded to 152 Church Street to investigate the 52-year-old man's harassment complaint.
New Haven police released video from the body cameras worn by the officers during the incident. Police Chief Otoniel Reyes released the video in response to video posted on social media depicting part of the encounter, according to police.
The video appears to show the officers assisting in an effort to evict the man, identified in the police report as Shawn Marshall, from an office building. At some point, the officers attempt to arrest the Marshall and while trying to place handcuffs on him, one officer is seen hitting the man in the head.
“Our department will conduct a transparent and thorough internal investigation to determine the appropriateness of the officers’ actions," Reyes said in a statement. "We take use of force seriously and the Internal Affairs review will determine if the use of force was within the guidelines of department policy.”
Marshall is facing several charges, including assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer, first-degree trespass, disorderly conduct, and failure to allow fingerprinting.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker addressed the incident during a news conference on Wednesday and said he and the police chief felt it was important to release the video right away so everyone could see what transpired.
U.S. & World
The mayor said he has not seen the entire video and officials will assess whether the force the officer used was appropriate.
Elicker said that any time an officer punches an individual, it is cause for concern and needs to be looked into.
He said they want to do the right thing for the community and also do right by officers and make sure things are fair and consistent.
