Video posted to Twitter June 1 shows Syracuse police pulling over a man for the heinous crime of loud music that could be heard from over 50 feet away then brutalizing him and arresting him, later claiming they feared he had a weapon after the video surfaced.
In the video, which can be seen above, officers ask 23-year-old Shaolin Moore to step out of the vehicle to be searched.
He refuses, which is likely why he was arrested.
But officers physically remove him from the vehicle and use force to take him to the ground, punch him, then take him into custody eventually arresting him over loud music — and resisting arrest.
(The video contains explicit language.)
The Syracuse Police Department said the music playing from Moore’s car violated a city ordinance law, which is a quality of life issue frequently reported to the department.
Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Bucker gave a statement saying the incident occurred at the same time as a coordinated police response to a drugs and weapons investigation blocks away from Skiddy Park, where Moore’s arrest took place.
However, there was no evidence linking Moore to that investigation other than he happened to be nearby.
Consistent with the Syracuse Police Department use of force protocol, the incident that occurred on Grace and Oswego Streets on Friday night was immediately reported to the Department following the incident. The case was already under review before the video was posted online. I recognize the concerns that have been raised by the community and I want to assure the community that under Department protocol, when officers use force, including this time, we complete a thorough investigation.
The vehicle was pulled over because of a violation of the City’s sound reproduction ordinance, a quality of life issue frequently reported to the Department for action. Importantly, it occurred immediately following a coordinated police response to Skiddy Park, where individuals were involved in the sale of illegal substances, and an unlawfully possessed handgun was recovered. Officers heard the noise from the vehicle as they were concluding the drug and weapons investigation at the park. The vehicle was stopped a few blocks from the park.
The incident is under active review which will occur on a timely basis. The officers continue to be in service and will be interviewed as part of the review.
Noise ordinance violations are typically handled with appearance tickets, not arrests, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
However, Fitzpatrick says he is not aware of the facts of the incident and will wait for the investigation to play out.
Mayor Ben Walsh made a similar statement.
“Out of respect for the process and in the interest of both the arrested individual and the officers, we will await the findings of the review,” Walsh said after viewing the video.
Currently, only some officers with the Syracuse Police Department are equipped with body cams.
The department says the officers involved were wearing body cams and the department looks forward to equipping all of its officers with body cams in an effort to build trust between the public and police.
“We’re looking at trying to develop a cultural shift and a cultural change in having that open communication between the community and the police force and trying to be as transparent as we can be,” Driscoll told CNY Central.
See the video posted by Twitter user “St.Lu” above.
