Two white officers shown beating black man, who is bloodied on the ground, in newly released dashcam video of January incident

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A pastor leading a protest on Wednesday outside a Detroit-area police department threatened to shut down the city until two white officers are fired for the bloody arrest of a black man who was pulled from his car and repeatedly punched in the head.

The march in Inkster came a day after TV station WDIV aired police video of the January arrest of Floyd Dent, 57.

The dashcam video shows an officer punching Dent many times in the head while another officer tries to handcuff the motorist, who is on the ground. Dent’s head and shirt are bloody.

“I’m lucky to be living. I think they was trying to kill me, especially when they had choked me,” Dent told WDIV. “I mean, I was on my last breath. I kept telling the officer, ‘Please, I can’t breathe.”’

The Rev Charles Williams II and about 50 protesters were told to leave the police department Wednesday because they were blocking the door. Chief Vicki Yost met them outside and said Michigan state police would investigate the arrest.

“I understand your concern,” Yost told Williams. “Again, we’re going to let the investigation play out … We’re going to act accordingly. We’re not hiding from this.”

Williams said the officers should be fired. Yost told the Associated Press that one is on “administrative duty”. She declined to elaborate.

“We will shut Inkster down until we get justice,” said Williams, who added that the video “made me sick”.

WDIV said a judge has dismissed charges of fleeing and resisting police, but Dent still faces a drug charge. He claims the officers planted crack cocaine in his car.

Inkster, population 25,000, is 73% black.

