The Lakeland Police Department said its officers acted appropriately during an arrest captured on video Tuesday evening.

  • Shevanski Green is accused of robbery
  • Officers had to subdue Green, who they say was resisting
  • Green was taken to hospital, expected to be OK
  • Lakeland PD posted video on Facebook

Shevanski Green is accused of robbing a Save-A-Lot store on George Jenkins Boulevard and then causing disturbances at several nearby businesses.

Green is seen on Lakeland Police dashboard-camera video sitting in a median with an officer standing near him. Then Green is seen trying to take down the officer.That's when a number of officers try to subdue Green, who was resisting.

A short time later, Green stopped breathing, and officers can be seen performing CPR. Green was taken to a hospital, and police said he is expected to be OK.

"Now he was wrong for even reaching for the policeman. He was wrong for that," said Green's mother, Linda Henry.

Henry said Green has several mental health and drug problems. She watched the dash-cam video and was upset an officer had his knee on Green.

She thinks that may have led to his medical emergency.

"This man is 300 pounds. He got on my child with his knee in his back," she said.

Lakeland Police spokesman Gary Gross said the officer did the right thing in the arrest, and he said witnesses back up what is seen on the video.

"They heard the verbal commands," Gross said. "They repeatedly said they heard the officers say, 'stop resisting, don't move,' and everything that took place. So we don’t see anything on the video that is out of place. Everything matches what the witnesses said."

Gross said officers were in a dangerous situation with a man acting out of his mind.

"There are two times police officers are usually killed: during a domestic disturbance or dealing with the mentally ill," he said.