Video surfaces of violent scuffle between police and NFL player raising more questions about the encounter
Video has surfaced of a violent February arrest of NFL free agent Malik McDowell in Michigan and it’s raising more questions than answers.
The incident occurred after a traffic stop and ended with a confrontation involving a taser and McDowell being arrested and charged with simple assault of a peace officer, operating under the influence, obstructing justice and driving with a suspended license, CNN reports.
A police officer said he saw McDowell, a second-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks two years ago speeding and then saw his Jeep spinning out of control, TMZ reported. The officer pulled McDowell over into a gas station and ordered McDowell to stay put, but McDowell repeatedly to see a supervisor and then attempts to enter the gas station store.
After he and the officer tussle their fight moves inside and the officer instructs McDowell to stay on his stomach, but the football player does not, prompting the officer to use his Taser on McDowell.
The football player then pulls out the prongs of the Taser and at one point, McDowell is heard imploring the officer, “Don’t shoot me.”
A lab test determined that McDowell’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, according to CNN.
The football player is due to appear in court on July 29th.
“Things are not always as they appear,” McDowell’s lawyer, Mitchell Ribitwer, told CNN. “There is a backstory to this.”
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