GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As a video of Grand Rapids Police Department officers punching a man circulates social media, the police chief said it “never looks good” when officers punch a subject in the face but it can be within policy.
“I understand anytime we punch somebody in the face, it never looks great. I think a lot of it is misconception too, that it’s something that we can’t do,” GRPD Chief Joe Trigg told News 8 in an interview Thursday. “Officers can strike to the face if needed but it still has to be within policy. It has to fit, it has to be reasonable. So each situation is different.”
What expert says about video of GRPD punching man during arrest
The situation in question happened during a traffic stop in the area of Kalamazoo Avenue SE and Dickinson Street SE in Grand Rapids. GRPD said officers noticed the passenger, 21-year-old Emran Sharifi, was not wearing a seat belt and asked him for his name and identification. When he refused, officers warned he would be placed under arrest for failure to identify. They say he still refused to comply. The video of the incident shows the moments police used physical force to get Sharifi out of the car, including punching him in the face and thigh…