A police officer is on leave after receiving Ԁᴇɑтһ threats prompted by a viral cellphone video taken at Purdue University which appears to show the officer physically struggling with a Black student who repeatedly says he’s being choked, officials said.
The university said in a statement Thursday Purdue University Police Chief John Cox placed the officer on leave after his life was тһгᴇɑтᴇпᴇԀ. The statement did not identify the student seen in the video.
“Cox initiated the leave of absence after the officer and department received Ԁᴇɑтһ threats. PUPD is investigating the threats,” the statement said. The department is also investigating the arrest, police said, which was spurred by a report of a suspected ɑѕѕɑᴜʟт on a woman. The Indiana State Police is conducting an independent review, police said.
Cox said in a separate statement a caller said “it appeared a woman was being held against her will near Horticulture Drive.”
He added: “The department’s review of the force used in the arrest will include input from all witnesses to the arrest and take into account all available evidence, including video from officers’ body-worn cameras and statements from the students involved. No physical injuries were suffered in the incident. Purdue police take incidents such as this seriously. The video from body-worn cameras will be made available as will all findings and evidence from the internal review when complete.”
Purdue police did not respond Friday for additional information into the incident.
A video, which is about a minute, was posted to Instagram showing some of the physical exchange between the officer and student. NBC News does not know what preceded or followed the video.
A woman, heard on the video, identifies herself as the girlfriend of the man the officer is struggling with.
“You’re hurting him. You’re hurting him. Can you take your elbow off his f—— neck,” she says.
The man in the video repeatedly tells the officer, “You’re choking me. You’re choking me.”
Toward the end of the video, the woman shouts, “Please help. This officer won’t get off his neck. He’s taking it too far.”
Adonis Tuggle, 24, a junior and psychology major, told the Associated Press he was the man seen on the video who struggled with the officer. Tuggle’s girlfriend recorded the video, he said.
Tuggle declined immediate comment Friday afternoon to NBC News, deferring the call to his attorney.
Tuggle told the Associated Press he felt lucky to survived.
“Basically, what happened to George Floyd almost happened to me, except I had an elbow not a knee, and fortunately, I’m still breathing instead of being in a casket,” Tuggle said.
Watch the video below:
