Black Amazon Driver Arrested For ‘Parking Facing Wrong Way’
A Black Amazon delivery driver who allegedly parked “facing the wrong way” was reportedly arrested and faces felony charges over a parking violation.
Cellphone footage of the incident, which took place in Warren, Michigan, has sparked a public back-and-forth between the city’s mayor and police commissioner.
On Tuesday (June 9), the driver, who remains unidentified, parked his van facing the wrong direction while he was making a delivery.
Video captured by a bystander named Amondeuz Graham shows the man being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by the white officer.
"One of the ladies who lived at the residence came out and tried to explain to the cop, 'that's my friend’s house, he was just delivering a package', like 'I don't know what's going on here, he's just delivering a package'," he told ClickonDetroit.
Sirens are later heard blaring in the background after the officer called for backup. Additional officers later appeared on scene.
Upon seeing the video, Mayor Jim Fouts immediately posted a poignant statement on Facebook calling for the officer to be terminated.
"There was an outrageous and unacceptable physical altercation with a Warren police officer involving a young African American delivery man for Amazon to a Warren home today," he wrote. "I have spoken with Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer and have ordered that this officer be terminated immediately."
The post continued: "I have zero tolerance for this disgusting act against an innocent person. If the last two weeks have brought up anything, it is that bad behavior by ANY police officer will not be tolerated. And I’m calling on the Macomb County Prosecutor to look into this situation to see if either charges should be brought against this individual and the U.S. attorney if this was a civil rights violation.
"The policy of the warren police department and the training provided to every officer is to deescalate every situation,” he concluded. “This officer did not follow policy or his training and is not fit to serve the citizens in Warren. BLACK LIVES MATTER."
Hours after the post was made, it was deleted at the request of to do so by Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer.
"The previous post regarding an altercation was taken down at the request of the Warren Police Commissioner," he wrote in a replacement post. "I await further details based upon additional information. I received several phone calls earlier regarding this incident requiring me to make a statement that any type of aggressive behavior is not tolerated. I was upset that one individual could possibly besmirch the fine reputation of Warren police officers."
At a Wednesday morning press conference, Commissioner Dwyer said the driver is facing felony charges of resisting and obstructing a police officer, failure to obey a lawful command, and failure to produce a driver's license. He was also issued a citation for illegal parking with left wheel to curb.
Dash cam footage of the incident was also shown to the press, which claimed the officer asked for the driver's identification 11 times, but was refused.
"Why are you on the wrong side of the road? You're not the Post Office, you don't drive on the wrong side of the road," the officer says in the video.
"You gonna give me a ticket for this bulls**t?" the driver subsequently says.
"I'm going to give you a whole lot more if you don't get your license out," the officer replies.
Neither the officer nor the driver were reportedly injured during the confrontation. The driver later posted bond and was released from prison.
Amazon issued a brief statement over the incident, backing the driver.
"We see what others see in this video, and it’s unacceptable. We expect a swift investigation and full accountability for those involved," a spokesperson said, according to Fox 2 Detroit. "Amazon will deploy all necessary resources to investigate the matter with our Delivery Service Provider, as well as to represent and support the driver."
See the news clip below:
