Officers Ruled Justified For Punching Jaywalking Suspect In The Head

On April 22nd, police officers in Ogden, Utah repeatedly punched a man in the head while he was on the ground when they attempted to arrest him for jaywalking. After Ogden Police Chief Eric Young declared the incident “well within department policy and completely justified,” the man’s family has decided to file a lawsuit, Action News 5 reported.

Young says his officers began investigating Shawn Sims after they noticed him walking in between traffic. “Mr. Sims appeared to observe the officers and immediately reached into his waistband, leading officers to believe that he was accessing a gun,” Young explained, claiming that Sims withdrew his hand from his waist and pushed it under his shirt in the shape of a handgun. He says that officers then believed that he was pointing a weapon at them.

Sims refused to comply and attempted to flee the scene, prompting police to “take him to the ground and command him to release his hands from his waistband,” Young stated. After the officers failed to gain compliance, two of the four officers started striking the suspect in the head. Another of the officers used his taser on Sims twice.

“I watched the video and I read the interaction from the After-Action Investigation and I do believe those officers were in fear for their life,” said Young. “They were trying to bring the situation as quickly under control as possible.”

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