A Juneau man was medevaced to Seattle this week after being slammed to the ground by a Juneau police officer.
According to a press release from the department Thursday afternoon, the incident took place Wednesday evening. Police say the man is 49 years old, but did not name him.
According to the department, the incident took place after officers responded to a report of a woman fighting with a man outside of the Douglas Library. It says the woman threw water in the man’s face and made racial comments.
According to police, an officer was attempting to place her under arrest and into a vehicle when a friend of hers appeared and continued to yell at the man. Police say the man then aggressively approached an officer.
Police say the officer attempted to place the man under arrest and into handcuffs, but he resisted and was “taken to the ground.”
A video of the incident has circulated online. It shows an officer arresting a woman, before panning to a man and another officer in front of a vehicle.
The officer stands behind the man who is leaning over the vehicle. After a few seconds, it appears the officer wraps both arms around the man and slams them both to the ground. The video shows the man’s head hitting the concrete sidewalk. He remains there unmoving for the duration of the video.
Police say the man was initially brought to Bartlett Regional Hospital with a head injury before being transported to Seattle. Police did not share the man’s current condition.
The department did not immediately respond to requests for more information. According to police, the incident is currently under investigation.
