Nov 9 2015
Videos showing police violently arresting University of Alabama students at an apartment in Tuscaloosa, apparently over a noise complaint, have gone viral on the college’s campus, with many asking whether the use of force was necessary.
A four-minute video shows the students telling an officer he is illegally entering their apartment. The students argue with the officer, before he tells the student he is under arrest. The incident turns chaotic as the officer pulls the student outside.
Details about what led up to the incident are vague, but according to Pete Pajor, a graduate of the school who was among those posting the videos on social media, police responded to the apartment because of a noise complaint.The students have been identified by police as Brandon Williford, 21, of Tennessee; Matthew Macia, 22, of Georgia; and Caroline Giddis, 22, of Tennessee. Williford, a senior, is the house manager for the Sigma Chi fraternity. Macia is also a member of the fraternity.
All three were charged with obstruction of governmental operations. Williford and Macia were also charged with resisting arrest, and Williford and Giddis were charged with harassment. The officers involved have not been identified.
UA students involved in video: 22 YO Matthew G Macia, 21 YO Brandon J Williford, 22 YO Caroline E Giddis @wvua23 pic.twitter.com/bvwtE9W1TD
— Danny Salter (@DHSalter) November 9, 2015
Another video was posted Sunday show the officers pulling two students out of an apartment. It was recorded from outside the building. One of the students is hit with a Taser and then thrown to the ground, where he is beaten by the officers as they try to arrest him. Two other students, a male and a female, is then thrown to the ground next to him. Watch that video here: