Mesa police release body camera footage of officers throwing punches at unarmed man

Uriel J. Garcia | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Mesa Police Department release body cam video of officers punching man In body cam video released by Mesa police on June 6, 2018, shows officers punching and kneeing Robert Johnson.

The Mesa Police Department released additional video Wednesday that provides greater insight into what led police officers to punch and knee an unarmed man late last month.

The incident has captured national attention and led local leaders to call for reform of use-of-force policies.

The incident is under investigation and three police officers and a sergeant are on administrative leave.

Police released the additional video a day after Mesa police Chief Ramon Batista provided local news outlets with surveillance camera footage from the apartment complex where four officers beat 33-year-old Robert Johnson on May 23.

The videos released Wednesday, which are from eight different angles from police officers' body camera, provide audio that wasn't available with the footage released Tuesday.

MORE: Mesa officers on leave after video shows man being punched

The incident began when a woman called police to say that her ex-boyfriend, Erik Reyes, 20, tried to break into her apartment with his friend, Johnson.

Police arrested Johnson on suspicion of disorderly conduct and hindering police. Reyes was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Mesa Police Department release body cam video of officers punching man In body cam footage released by Mesa police on June 6, 2018, shows officers punching and kneeing Robert Johnson, who is unarmed.

What the videos show

The videos show three officers approach Johnson on the third-floor deck of the apartment complex on Main Street about mile east of Country Club Drive. One officer already on the deck questions Reyes, who sits down when the officer directs him. The officer advises Johnson to wait before the other three officers arrive.

As the three officers approach Johnson, he is talking on a cell phone and leaning against a railing. Police search his pockets and then ask him to sit down on the floor against the wall, the video shows. Johnson questions why he needs to sit down and leans his back against the wall with his legs extended.

Police repeatedly ask Johnson to sit down, but he refuses, the video shows.

The four officers close in on Johnson and an officer identified in the police report as J. Jones knees Johnson twice in the stomach and punches him six times in the face, the video shows.

The police report details that another officer identified as R. Monarrez punched Johnson in the face at least once.

As Johnson is being hit, someone is heard saying, "Sit your ass down motherf--ker."

One of the officers pulls Johnson's left leg, dropping him to the floor and someone is heard saying, "See what happens."

Police handcuff the man and tie his feet together. As he lays on his stomach on the floor Johnson tells the officers, "You didn't need to put all that force on me."

Surveillance video shows Mesa police officers punching man in face In a video released by the Mesa Police Department, Mesa officers are shown apprehending a man and punching him in the face several times in May 2018.

He then yells profanities at the officers, challenging them to a fight, the video shows.

Officer R. Gambee, in the report, says that as the officers escort Johnson into the elevator it looks like Johnson is about to spit on him. Gambee shoves Johnson's face into the corner of the elevator door and the door frame, according to the report.

One officer then wraps a spit mask, or what appears to be a mesh-type cloth, around Johnson's face before three officers pick him up by his feet and arms and carry him into the elevator and into a patrol car, the video shows.

Coming to light

The incident gained the chief's attention May 30, when Andre Miller, a pastor at New Beginnings Christian Church in Mesa, met with Batista to tell him about the surveillance video footage, according to a police spokesman.

The chief called for an investigation on the same day.

He also has implemented changes into the department's use-of-force policy that would prevent officers from striking suspects' face, head and neck "unless there is active aggression being exhibited by an individual toward the officer," according to Nik Rasheta, a Mesa police spokesman.

Benjamin Taylor, a lawyer representing Johnson, said Wednesday that his client had asked police officers to take him to the hospital that night but the officers refused. The police report details some of the man's injuries, which included redness to his face and neck.

"He didn't do anything wrong," Taylor said. "He didn't deserved to be punched."

Criticism of Mesa police

Mesa leaders faced a stream of criticism after the release of the initial video, with no audio, Tuesday. Community leaders say the incident is the latest example of excessive force by the department.

"Nothing about Johnson’s behavior in the video justifies this brutality," said Alessandra Soler, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. "It is clear that the Mesa Police Department needs systemic reform and must learn how to treat everyone with dignity. How many people need to be harmed before the department takes reform seriously?"

State Rep. Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, posted a letter on Facebook that he sent to Mesa Mayor John Giles that calls for an investigation.

"As leaders across the country look to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve incidents like this and the lack of transparency make that task extremely difficult," the letter says.

Mesa police chief talks about video of officers punching man Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista talks about surveillance video showing officers punching man in face.

Mesa City Councilman Jeremy Whittaker released a statement, calling the incident "appalling."

"At first glance this video is appalling. It would be irresponsible of me to convict these officers in the court of public opinion before they are guaranteed their constitutional right to a fair trial as I understand there is a criminal investigation," he said. "I have been told that these police officers are on administrative leave until this investigation is completed by an outside organization. I am eager for due process to take place. "

Nate Gafvert, president of the Mesa police union, questioned the chief's decision to release the surveillance footage because it lacked the context provided by the body camera videos and the police report.

"It is important to understand that any use of force, when viewed, is difficult to watch and never looks good," Gafvert's statement says. "All Americans are afforded the same constitutional rights of Due Process, which includes police officers. We feel it is detrimental to the investigation to sour the case with the lack of providing facts and full video/audio of the encounter."

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office will review the case and decide if any charges should be filed against the officers, said that he was aware Mesa police had planned on releasing the video footage Tuesday. He declined further comment until the criminal investigation is complete.

Other use-of-force cases

Mesa police faced criticism for other use-of-force incidents in the past year.

In February, a family posted pictures of an 84-year-old grandmother's bruises after a Mesa police officer grabbed her and took her down. After the pictures went viral on Facebook, Mesa police video showed the takedown. Police had originally said the woman slipped.

In December, after former Mesa police Officer Phillip Brailsford was acquitted by a jury of a second-degree murder charge, a judge allowed the release of unedited footage showing Brailsford fatally shooting a man who was on his knees crying, begging for his life. In that video, taken from police body cameras, a sergeant can be heard yelling commands at the man.

The incident happened in January 2016, but the unedited video was released almost two years later, prompting international outcry on social media.

Reach the reporter at uriel.garcia@azcentral.com or on Twitter: @ujohnnyg.

READ MORE: