A Titusville detective is on paid leave during a use of force investigation.
- Arrest at Titusville gas station prompts excessive force investigation
- Video of arrest prompted an internal affairs investigation
- Amari Hair, 20, charged with drug possession
Cell phone video surfaced online showing the officer making an arrest at a Titusville gas station. Police confirmed that video prompted an internal affairs investigation.
The arrest happened at the Cumberland Farms store on south Hopkins Avenue. The man in the video is Amari Hair. The 20-year-old was charged with drug possession.
In the video you can see and hear the back and forth between the man being arrested and the officers. An officer is heard saying, “Stop reaching in your waistband stop reaching I'm going to punch you Amari.”
Clara Williams says she’s the one who recorded it.
“If I hadn't recorded it then you know there would be no investigation,” she said.
An investigation is underway into whether the officer used appropriate force during the arrest.
Titusville police say he’s a convicted felon and well known to officers.
Deputy Chief Todd Hutchinson with the Titusville Police Department said, “So we're asking everyone to withhold judgment until this investigation is complete and we will be very transparent and reveal all of our findings to the public at that point.”
The Deputy Chief says it could be a couple of weeks until they have the results of the internal affairs investigation.
Hair’s mother directed us to her attorney Barbara Peters who gave this statement: "At this time, we are in the process of gathering all the information and do not have any comment. The cell phone video is very disturbing and raises serious questions."