Oct 15, 2015
A man has filed a complaint with the Spartanburg Police Department, claiming officers used excessive force while arresting him.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon on Nevada Street.
A woman recorded video of the arrest on her cell phone and shared it on social media.
According to the report, the two officers were dispatched a the area for a domestic disturbance.
Upon arrival, a woman told officers that Jarvis Terrell, the man in the video, and her daughter had been fighting.
“She stated that she had told him to leave several times and that he refused to leave,” the report says.
Officers say they noticed “an abnormally large bulge and something shiny and silver in his back right pocket.”
The report goes on to say officers could not make out what the object was and asked to pat Terrell down.
That’s when the report says Terrell resisted.
“He punchin’ him. He punchin’ him ‘n [expletive].” You can hear the woman recording the video yelling as officers begin to use force.
We took the video to criminal justice professor and former police chief, Dr. Mike Wilkie.
He currently teaches at Bob Jones University, after serving 25 years in law enforcement.
Wilkie says he doesn’t find the force, shown in the video, improper or excessive.
“The one officer is attempting to do a knee-strike to his thigh, which is a standard defensive technique,” said Wilkie.
He added, “If the man had simply said okay when the police told him that he was under arrest, none of that would’ve ever happened.”
As of Thursday morning, the video has more than 25,000 views and continues to be shared.
“Be still cause these mother[expletive] goin down,” you can hear on the video.
Wilkie says that sort of yelling only escalates an already uncomfortable situation.
“You want to stand there and video tape? That’s one thing. Then to try to throw kerosene on the fire like this individual apparently was, there’s no call for that,” he said.
Terrell lives in Washington D.C. and was visiting family in Spartanburg at the time of his arrest.
He faces charges of trespassing and two counts of assault and battery, according to the report.
Although Terrell refused the pat down, officers say they ultimately discovered it was a wallet and keys in his back pocket.
Terrell was taken to the hospital for his injuries before going to jail. According to the report, one officer reported a bloody nose and the other a small scrape.
The Spartanburg Police Department acknowledged they have received the Terrell’s complaint. Officials say the incident is under investigation.