BUFFALO, N.Y. — Last month, video of police punching a Buffalo man, Quentin Suttles, in the head during an arrest had many people outraged across the city.
Now we're getting a look at the police view of what happened.
Suttles' attorneys released a video Thursday that is a combination of body-camera footage and bystander footage. The attorneys also have filed a notice of claim, an initial step before a lawsuit is filed, over the May 10 incident at East Eagle and Madison streets.
The filing claims Suttles suffered serious injuries as a result of the confrontation, including a fractured scapula and orbital bone.
The claim also alleges there was a racial motivation.
It indicates the officers followed Suttles around the City of Buffalo for minutes when he eventually committed a minor traffic offense and was pulled over.
Suttles appeared, but did not speak, at a news conference Friday where his attorney, Joshua Ramos spoke out against the current Buffalo Police use of force policy. Among other things, Ramos said the video clearly shows the officers were not under any immediate threat of danger during the encounter. Also, the policy calls for seeking immediate medical attention for any injuries suffered by someone in Suttles situation, yet none was rendered until the next day.
Ramos also talked about the importance of the rollback of 50A new legislation that now provides the public with access to police misconduct records. In discussing an incident from April 2019 where Suttles was a back seat passenger in a car where a gun was found resulting in the arrest of everyone in the car. The attorney said it's just as important to know the past conduct of police as it is for someone like his client.
The attorney spoke of the importance of the body camera and witness video, saying they might not have a case without it. He said body cameras should be worn by all officers, so it protects the good ones and helps find the bad ones.
There's currently an internal investigation going on, as well as an investigation by the Erie County District Attorneys' office.
Ramos said the officers involved are still on the job, In fact, claiming they were on duty during two nights of protests in Buffalo over the killing of George Floyd.
Buffalo Police wouldn't provide an update due to the ongoing investigation.
However, Ali Ingersoll, a reporter with our nonprofit partners at Investigative Post, did reach out to John Evans, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association President, in response to the video.
He still believes the officers will be cleared and that their actions were justifiable.
We asked attorney Mike Taheri, who's not connected to this case, for his legal perspective.
"The video is violent. It's hostile. It shows a very unpleasant confrontation with law enforcement. When you see that video, it certainly raises your awareness as to why is this happening," Taheri said.
In response to the status of the officers, Taheri said, "You have three matters, legal proceedings, that are gonna be ongoing. And it doesn't mean that although the police officers are working today or tonight and tomorrow, that doesn't mean their status can't change."
On Friday, Suttles' attorneys will be holding a news conference to address the filing and the newly released video. Suttles is expected to be there.