The surveillance video shows several people jaywalking the night Detroit police pounced on Steele Hughes and threw him to the ground, later claiming he appeared “threatening,” making them fear for their safety.
The video proved the cops were lying when they arrested Hughes on charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing police, leaving him in jail for three days, accusing him of taking an “aggressive posture, claiming he “shrugged violently away” when confronted, insisting the only reason he fell to the ground was because he had lost his balance. The usual cop lies that usually work when there is no video.
But in this case there was video, so Wayne County prosecutors did not pursue the charges against the 29-year-old man who had never been arrested before he was confronted by cops that night in June 2017.
But Hughes ended up suspended from his job, according to WXYZ-TV.
The incident happened in June 2017. Hughes was leaving the popular Fishbone’s restaurant in Greektown with his fiancé, headed towards a downtown parking structure. When traffic was clear, he said he crossed Monroe Street – also known as jaywalking – and quickly encountered three officers.
“An officer made a call: ‘Get out of the street!’“ Hughes said. “That’s what we were doing. We continued to walk across the street.”
Hughes finished crossing but said the officers weren’t finished with him.
“Next thing I know, a hand grabs my shoulder and then my wrist, and then I’m thrown to the ground,” he said.
None of the cops were disciplined other than a verbal warning. The jaywalking ticket was also dismissed.
In March, Detroit police announced a crackdown on jaywalking, which they were able to do with an overtime grant from the state, so as always, it’s about revenue, not safety.
