Arrest following Elyria Juneteenth event sparks debate, use of force review (UPDATED, VIDEO)

Elyria police say they are reviewing an arrest in Ely Square on Saturday following a Juneteenth event after a video posted online drew criticism of officers' use of force. In the video, which has been posted online, several Elyria police officers can be seen arresting a 15-year-old girl in a white shirt. One officer is kneeling with one knee on the ground and the other being used to pin her down, primarily pressing on her upper back and neck. Elyria Police Chief James Welsh said in a statement on Monday afternoon that the department was reviewing the incident, as it does all use of force incidents, and later on Monday the department posted footage from an officer's body-worn camera and two surveillance cameras in the park. Only the body-worn camera includes audio. The body-worn camera footage shows one of the four officers involved dropping his knee onto the upper torso or neck of the girl after other officers have already placed her hands behind her back. In a release Monday evening, Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker said he and Welsh found that action troubling. "After reviewing the footage, I had strong concerns regarding one officer's actions," Brubaker said in the release. "Chief Welsh shared those concerns, and I appreciate his decision to release the footage quickly and take immediate steps to address those concerns." The officer in question has been placed on paid administrative leave while the use of force is investigated, Welsh said. The incident The incident, which took place in the square after the city's Juneteenth Festival event had officially ended, generated controversy when a video showing three angles of the arrest was posted to Facebook. The video starts with the altercation already in progress. Four officers are over the female, with one crouching behind her placing handcuffs on her, one kneeling on her upper torso and two others at either side of her. Approximately 18 seconds into the recording police stand up, roll the girl on her side and then lift her to her feet. People who are filming and standing around the altercation are yelling at the officer kneeling on the female to get off. The video was posted by Lorain resident Moriah Ballard to her personal Facebook page. Ballard is the communications director for Lorain Schools. The videos posted Monday by Elyria provide more context, including the beginning of the interaction between the girl and police. The faces of everyone in all three videos are covered by black boxes. Prior to the start of the body-worn camera footage, Welsh said in a release that officers already present in the square responded to a confrontation between two people, one of whom was a 14-year-old boy that was "engaging in disorderly behavior, including repeatedly using vulgar language in a public setting and creating a condition that officers believed presented a risk of inconvenience, annoyance, alarm or physical harm to others present." In the video, two officers approach a small group near the fountain in Ely Square and walk the 14-year-old away from the group While police are talking to him, the 15-year-old approaches them and begins to yell that the boy is her brother. Multiple people try to separate the girl from the officer but she continues to yell and try to get past them. The officer who is recording tells her "You're about to go next." As the girl continues to yell and several people hold her back, one of the police officers can be heard talking to the 14-year-old, who tells the officer that an adult "threatened to put his hands on me." Just over a minute and a half after the girl approaches police, the officer recording points to her and says "Hook her," to another officer and the two of them then approach her and attempt to put her hands behind her back. The girl falls to the ground and police struggle with her as she rolls away and screams at them to stop touching her. After about 20 seconds a third officer jumps on her back and the three officers successfully force her hands behind her back. After the girl's hands are behind her back, a fourth officer enters the frame and immediately drops to his knees, with one on the ground and the other on her upper torso. He appears to reach behind him and pick up sunglasses he had dropped while still kneeling on her back. The fourth officer yells at bystanders to get back, but after he kneels down several people who appear to be adults get closer to the altercation and at least one appears to touch him. The officer filming turns around and grabs a man, who appears to be an adult, who had approached the officers. "I'm just saying get off," the man says. That man and another adult male are ultimately arrested by police for allegedly interfering with the arrest. The officer who is recording pulls out a stun gun and points it at one of the men being arrested, but does not deploy it. The identities of the officers involved have not been released. "I have personally reviewed the available body-worn camera footage and other evidence related to this incident," Welsh said in the release. "This particular use of force has generated understandable concern within our community. Based upon my initial review of the available evidence, I have concerns regarding the officer's actions, and he has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the completion of an administrative investigation. While the conduct of individuals involved in this incident remains subject to the criminal justice process, we also hold our officers to the highest professional standards. The actions of all officers involved will be thoroughly reviewed in accordance with department policy, training and established procedures." Welsh said no serious injury was reported to officers or those who were arrested. He said that the department is investigating the incident and the force used by officers. "As chief of police, I understand that any incident involving the use of force by police officers raises important questions within our community," Welsh said in the release. "The Elyria Police Department is committed to transparency, accountability and maintaining the public's trust. The arrests made during this incident were based upon information available to officers at the scene and remain under review through the criminal justice process. Additionally, as with any use of force by our personnel, the actions of our officers will be thoroughly reviewed in accordance with department policy and established procedures." The 15-year-old girl was charged with harassment by an inmate, a felony, and obstructing official business, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors. She was transported to the Lorain County Detention Home. Marcus Dowdell, 39, of Elyria was arrested and charged with assault on a peace officer, a felony, and obstructing official business and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. He was taken to the Lorain County Jail. Ciera Ramon, 48, of Elyria was arrested and charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. She was issued a summons and released. The 14-year-old boy was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and released to his mother. Both the investigation of the alleged criminal actions and the review of the use of force are ongoing. "Additional information, including body-worn camera footage and the results of any administrative and disciplinary investigations, will be released as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, department policy and the integrity of the investigative process," Welsh said. Reaction The Juneteenth event on Saturday was organized by the Elyria Black Legacy Connection in cooperation with the city, and Black Legacy Connection founder Ethan West was still in Ely Square packing up when the incident occurred. West said that after most attendees of the event had left, a group of young people were talking in the park when some of them started speaking loudly and swearing. He said that an adult verbally confronted the group about their language and the interaction escalated to the point that police officers, who were already in the park following the event, got involved. "I think that everybody (present) was OK with the young lady being apprehended," West said on Monday. "Nobody was disputing that, you know, but people felt at the time she was being apprehended, there were already three officers on her and the fourth officer comes in and uses a tactic that history shows us can be fatal. To the bystanders, that will be a natural trigger." The fatality West referred to was the death of George Floyd in May 2020, who was killed when a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his upper back and neck for several minutes, eventually killing him, the medical examiner who handled the case said in court. The death was captured on video by bystanders and sparked thousands of protests across the country. West said that he was glad that police planned to investigate the use of force, but he hoped that the incident on Saturday would spark a serious conversation about what police tactics are acceptable to the city in particular circumstances. "You hear across different police departments, some of them use that tactic, some of them don't use it, so what is the merit? What is the measuring stick?" he said. "If that is not excessive force, then please explain to us what would qualify as excessive force for an officer, because we see a lot of stuff that we feel is excessive. … I think we all need to be on the same page. Nobody is disputing that the police have to do their job, we get that, but the walls start closing in when we start to see things we feel are excessive. It gets contentious because the police might feel that it's not (excessive), the citizens see otherwise. So there is a gap of not understanding and trusting each other." In a statement sent on Monday, Parris Smith, president and CEO of the Lorain County Urban League, said that the league had written to the city and police department requesting additional information on the incident and the review process into it. "Over the past several days, we have heard from many concerned residents seeking answers, transparency and accountability," Smith said in the release. "In response, we have submitted a letter requesting information regarding the incident, the review process and the steps being taken to address community concerns. We remain committed to advocating for transparency, fairness and the well-being of our community while encouraging a thorough and impartial review of the facts. We will continue to monitor this matter and keep the community informed as appropriate." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.