Policeman who killed Ferguson teen shown arresting man for filming him
PUBLISHED : Monday, 17 November, 2014, 5:17am
UPDATED : Monday, 17 November, 2014, 5:17am
The Guardian in Ferguson
A police officer looks on as a demonstrator lays on the ground during a mock death protest of the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer. Photo: AFP
Video footage has emerged showing the police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, threatening and arresting a resident who refused to stop filming him with a cellphone.
Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, is seen standing near his Ferguson police SUV and warning Mike Arman: "If you wanna take a picture of me one more time, I'm gonna lock your ass up." Arman, who had requested Wilson's name, replies: "Sir, I'm not taking a picture, I'm recording this incident sir."
The officer then walks to the porch of Arman's home and apprehends him, after telling him that he does not have the right to film. The 15-second clip was uploaded to YouTube on Friday but recorded in 2013, according to police documents.
Arman, 30, was charged with failing to comply with Wilson's orders. He claimed in an interview on Saturday that the charge was dropped after he told his lawyer he had video footage of the incident. Arman, who runs a small housing non-profit, has previously been charged with resisting arrest.
A police incident report confirms that Wilson arrested Arman at his home on October 28, 2013. The report states Wilson had arrived to issue a court summons regarding derelict vehicles that were being left on the property in violation of city rules.
Filming police carrying out their duties is widely considered protected by the first amendment of the US constitution.
A grand jury in St Louis is considering whether Wilson, now 28, should be charged for killing Brown in Ferguson on 9 August.
Wilson shot Brown repeatedly after an altercation that followed Wilson stopping him and a friend for jaywalking. The officer has reportedly told investigators that he was assaulted by Brown, and that the 18-year-old threatened him further. Several witnesses said Brown was shot from some distance away after surrendering.
Protests over Brown's death were met with a militarised police crackdown.
The grand jury is due to announce its decision in "mid-to-late November", according to prosecutor Bob McCulloch. The city is braced for potential unrest if Wilson is not indicted.
