A Mississippi state trooper was captured on video grabbing a handcuffed man by the neck and wrestling him down to the ground before arresting the man’s two brothers who were recording from several feet away.
The video began going viral within minutes of the men being arrested Friday because one of the men had been live streaming to Facebook. The incident took place in McComb, a small town in southwestern Mississippi.
Charges against the men have not been publicized but the Mississippi Highway Patrol has launched an internal affairs investigation, according to a statement by McComb Mayor Quordiniah Lockley on the city’s Facebook page.
The video begins with Eugene Lewis in handcuffs while standing in the middle of a narrow street with the cop standing in front of him.
The cop tells the two other brothers to back off but they appear to be at least 30 feet away and are making it clear they only intend to record, not interfere.
Packer Lewis, who is recording, is telling viewers that they came across the cop beating up their brother who was sitting handcuffed in the back seat of the patrol car.
The cop who is White appears very threatened by the brothers who are Black, insisting they stay way back but says nothing to another White man who walks up to offer assistance.
Words are exchanged between the brothers and the man which was when the cop grabbed Eugene Lewis by the neck and wrestled him down to the ground on the side of the road.
The cop places a knee on Eugene Lewis’ body as he lies on the ground, drawing a comparison from Packer Lewis to George Floyd who was ᴋɪʟʟᴇԀ by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020.
“That’s how George Floyd ԀɪᴇԀ,” Packer Lewis repeatedly tells the cop who responds by telling the men to back further up or face arrest.
“I can’t affect an arrest until you all leave,” the cop claims from at least 30 feet away.
“You were just in the back seat beating him up,” Packer Lewis responds.
At one point in the video, Packer Lewis asks McComb police to respond.
“McComb police, please come out here … we just caught the state trooper in the back seat, he ran us off. He was in the back seat beating him up,” he says.
After the cop finally places Eugene Lewis in the back of the car, he waits for another cop to arrive before arresting the brothers at ɡᴜпρᴏɪпт.
Eugene Lewis apparently has been released because local media, WJTV, posted a short audio clip of him explaining that he had been pulled over for driving 35 mph in a 30 mph zone even though the posted speed limit in the video is 35 mph.
Eugene Lewis also says the cop asked if he smoked or drank and he responded by telling the cop he does not smoke but he does drink. However, he was not drinking at that moment.
He said the cop then twisted his responses to justify placing handcuffs on him which was when he accused the cop of гɑᴄɪɑʟʟʏ profiling him. That was when the cop ѕтгᴜᴄᴋ him.
He also believes it would have turned out much worse had his brothers not arrived and started recording.
Watch the video below:
