ATLANTA — A viral video being circulated online appears to show an Atlanta Police officer seemingly box with a man in a parking lot before trying to arrest him. But it has the department warning that it doesn't tell the full story.
Two people were arrested in connection to the incident.
On Thursday night, video of the officer and the man fighting was posted to Twitter and Instagram by the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP.
The video begins with the officer bending down to pick up something near the curb of the street before crossing it over to a man, yelling, "Matter fact, get your a** over here!"
The officer goes to try to arrest the man, and that's when the officer decks the man in the face.
A woman who identified herself as the man's mother rushes to get between the man and the officer, who now has his taser drawn. The officer pushes her out of the way to try and deploy the taser, causing her to fall onto the ground.
In the next moments, the officer and the man are shuffling around in fighting stances before throwing punches and trading hits as a crowd gathers around. At one point the officer trips and falls, but quickly recovers before trying once again to apprehend the man. That's where the video posted to social media ends.
But Atlanta Police cautioned that it did not give the full context of what happened.
According to a police report from the department, it all started with a red Dodge Charger that blew through a red light at Joseph E. Boone and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevards around 7:30 p.m. July 9.
The officer, identified as Sgt. Patillo, spotted the Charger and followed it for several more blocks when he saw it hit another vehicle and crash near the corner of Joseph E. Boone and Lanier Street.
As Patillo drove up, the report said he saw a man in Khaki pants and a black shirt run off into the woods. Other Atlanta Police officers took off after him.
Meanwhile, Patillo spotted another man, now identified as Harold Barnwell, leaning into the Charger. When he came back out, Barnwell had a red satchel in his hands.
Patillo ordered Barnwell to drop it; he did and walked away. But when Patillo looked inside, he reportedly found several bags of raw marijuana.
Patillo then commanded Barnwell to put his hands behind his back, to which Barnwell reportedly replied back, "For what?" That's when Patillo pulled out his taser, telling Barnwell he was under arrest for possession of marijuana. The Twitter video showed what happened after that.
When 11Alive inquired about the now-viral video, Atlanta Police released a longer version of it. (App users click here to watch the full video.)
It starts with the officers chasing the suspect into the woods. After that, you can hear an officer, Patillo, command Barnwell to drop the red bag referenced in the police report. The video plays out the same as the Twitter version, but continues on through Barnwell's arrest.
After a struggle, officers were able to take him into custody. They charged him with felony obstruction of officers and possession of a controlled substance charges. Authorities charged Barnwell's mother Jennifer with misdemeanor obstruction of officers for her stepping in front of her son as he was being placed under arrest.
Patillo suffered a dislocated pinky finger and was taken to Grady Hospital for treatment.
In a statement, the department said they were aware of the video, recorded by a bystander, and the complaint filed with their Office of Professional Standards.
"We will investigate the matter and take appropriate action if it is determined any departmental polices or procedures were not followed," the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP told 11Alive they were "deeply concerned by the response and level of force used in this police encounter between APD and the Atlanta residents in the video."
"We are actively investigating this incident," said Gerald Griggs, the chapter's Vice President. "Further, we hope that Atlanta Police Command Staff will take swift action to determine if protocols have been violated. We are requesting a meeting with Chief Shields to discuss this case immediately."
