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Charles Harrell videotaped himself walking down a Cincinnati street drinking a cappuccino. The filming ended when a cop approached and slammed Harrell for reportedly jaywalking.
WPCO screenshot
The Cincinnati Police Department is investigating a videotaped pedestrian arrest that took place Feb. 6.
According to Cincinnati.com, Charles Harrell, 29, began filming Police Officer Baron Osterman, who was slowly following him on a bicycle.
“This is what we have to go through in Cincinnati,” Harrell said in the video. “You can’t be a black man and enjoy your morning, because the police are going to harass you, Cincinnati, Ohio … walking down the street; the cop just asked me if I have a problem.”
The officer eventually approached Harrell and told him that he had crossed against the light. Harrell claimed that he crossed when the light instructed him to. The officer instructed Harrell to put his phone and coffee on the ground. An argument ensued and Harrell was thrown into a wall, handcuffed and arrested.
Harrell was charged with a pedestrian violation, possession of less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of marijuana and resisting arrest, Cincinnati.com reports.
He posted video of the incident on his Facebook page March 1. Since then it has been viewed more than 150,000 times.
In the video, Harrell claimed that he was being harassed because he is black and the officer is white.
“We take all citizen concerns and complaints seriously. As such, the incident is under investigation by both the Internal Investigations Unit of the Cincinnati Police Department and the Citizen Complaint Authority, which provides a neutral, independent review of the incident,” Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac said in a statement. “We are committed to transparency and will provide further information once we have allowed both the criminal trial and the administrative investigations to run their course.”
Police told the newspaper that Harrell has been contacted about filing a citizen’s complaint.
Since the video’s release, the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police has commended the officer’s handling of Harrell’s alleged jaywalking.
“Officer Osterman did absolutely nothing wrong,” FOP President Dan Hills said in a statement viewed by Fox 19. “He should be commended for staying very professional while Mr. Harrell became very belligerent.”
Read more at Cincinnati.com and Fox 19.
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