A video showing a Minneapolis police officer forcefully arresting a 64-year-old man Wednesday has prompted a review by the department.
The video shows officer Christopher Lange aggressively grabbing Troy Lee Billups and pushing him onto the ground in an attempt to arrest him near the checkout area at the Aldi at 1311 Franklin Avenue near 14th Avenue S.
“Two people having a conversation together, and you decided to escalate the situation by shoving him,” the person recording the video is heard telling the officer.
“You’re under arrest,” Lange tells Billups.
“For what?” Billups asks while appearing to resist getting handcuffed.
“Let me go” he says.
When Lange does let go, Billups rebukes him for apparently shoving a young man in the store earlier.
“You gotta keep your hands off him,” Billups says. “You don’t put your hands on no young kid.”
Shortly after, in the store’s parking lot, Lange handcuffs Billups.
“All I did was tell him, ‘Don’t touch the kid,'” Billups tells a nearby officer as Lange empties his groceries on the hood of a patrol car.
Billups was charged with obstructing the legal process by interfering with a police officer, a misdemeanor, and was held overnight at the Hennepin County jail ahead of a Thursday court appearance, where Hennepin County District Judge James Moore ordered that he be released without bail.
His next court appearance is set for January 5.
Minneapolis police said the matter is being evaluated by the Office of Police Conduct Review.
“Department policy and training continues to emphasize the importance of de-escalation efforts to stabilize and resolve situations when safe and feasible,” MPD spokesperson Garrett Parten wrote.