https://twitter.com/kelloggskling/status/663507438298116097/video/1
On Sunday evening, social media began to circulate videos that show police pulling two people out of an apartment. The incident took place at 3:19 a.m. (on Sunday) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In this clip, officers can be seen arriving at an apartment after an alleged noise complaint. The situation escalates rapidly, and after a few moments, some of the apartment’s occupants are escorted out into the street.
The video, taken from what appears to be a second-floor balcony or stairway, doesn’t reveal more than a few seconds worth of footage. What we do see is blurry, but still pretty clear (as far as what went down). Two people are removed from the apartment. One of them is pushed to the ground and tasered by one officer while another makes use of a nightstick. A second person is also wrestled to the ground, although the video flashes away so quickly that it’s not clear whether tasers came into play.
These people don’t appear to be resisting arrest, but resistance is rather impossible when one’s being tasered. We can’t tell whether or not the police entered the premises without a warrant, but if this was truly a noise complaint, there’s not much chance of a preexisting warrant. A second video — showing a vantage point (and revealing some dialogue) from within the apartment — has surfaced.
This is a second video taken from inside of the apartment. pic.twitter.com/ClsmSmIZeK
— Pete Pajor (@petepajor) November 9, 2015
Some reported details about the citizens in the video are surfacing, as well. When all was said and done, three males and one female were taken into police custody. The man on the ground has been reportedly identified as Brandon Williford, who posted a $2,000 bond after being charged on three separate accounts (harassment, obstruction, and resisting arrest). Williford is a Sigma Chi brother from the University of Alabama.
The Tuscaloosa police department took to Twitter to assure the public that the situation is under control, and an investigation shall begin Monday.
.@TuscaloosaPD has forwarded videos of an arrest made this morning to internal affairs investigators. Full investigation to be conducted.
— City of Tuscaloosa (@tuscaloosacity) November 9, 2015
Elsewhere on Twitter, the reactions are fairly unanimous concerning the videos’ events.
https://twitter.com/THEMKKH/status/663602990423609344
https://twitter.com/jacobm928/status/663601475520737280
I am absolutely disgusted after watching the videos of the police brutality in Tuscaloosa last night, OVER A NOISE COMPLAINT!!!
— haley (@haleybird434) November 9, 2015
Those videos from the Tuscaloosa apartment noise complaint arrest are completely ridiculous
— tiffany (@tiffstidbits) November 9, 2015
This is not okay… really disappointed in Tuscaloosa PD https://t.co/UUMbENNsVw
— mg (@mgcopeland26) November 9, 2015
The Tuscaloosa Police also took to Facebook to confirm that the situation occurred in response to “a loud music call”:
(Via AL.com)