Bexley, Ohio Police Aggressiveness

An anonymous submitter shared the following story via CopBlock.org’s submit page.

While on a bicycle ride last weekend, I observed a Bexley, OH PD cruiser make a 180 degree turn on East Broad street, turning quickly onto Stanwood Road, where he stopped. In the yard of a house at that corner, 5 or 6 people were standing, one of which had clearly been assaulted. His face was bloody and swollen, to the point where his right eye was completely swollen shut. Another of the bystanders was on a cell phone.

Upon exiting the vehicle, the officer IMMEDIATELY drew his taser, and aimed it at the injured person. I was still about 75 feet away, and approaching, so I didn’t hear any commands from the officer, but the injured person fell to his knees, put his hands in the air, and begged the officer not to use the taser on him. It was only then that the officer holstered his weapon, and began putting on protective gloves. I attempted to film this interaction, but my phone memory was full.

Obviously I have no idea what led up to the circumstances of this event, but I was really shocked by how the officer chose to involve a weapon in his interaction. NOBODY had made an aggressive move toward him. The injured man was clothed only in boxer shorts, and his hands were empty. Before you start flaming away, ask yourself if the officer’s actions escalated, or de-escalated the situation.

I find this idea that an officer can just choose to further injure someone simply because they didn’t follow his instructions to be very disturbing.