An Ohio police officer is on administrative leave after he put his knee on a 15-year-old’s neck while trying to arrest her.
It happened during a Juneteenth celebration in Elyria, Ohio, on Saturday. Elyria police said officers were called to try to de-escalate a confrontation in Ely Square.
In the body camera footage posted on YouTube, officers are shown riding a bicycle up to a group of teenagers next to a fountain. They detained a 14-year-old boy after they say they saw him engage in “disorderly conduct.”
When officers start walking away with the teenager, his 15-year-old sister follows the officers.
“That’s my little brother,” she told the officer.
“Don’t care,” the officer replied.
The 14-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct and later released to his mother, according to police.
Body camera footage showed bystanders trying to calm the 15-year-old down as her brother spoke with officers.
“Leave my brother the f—k alone! Get the f—k out of my brother’s face!” she yelled.
Soon, more police officers arrived and grabbed the 15-year-old. The video showed her trying to roll away from the officers before one physically mounted her to put handcuffs on.
As the crowd got closer to the officers, another police officer ran up and slammed his knee into the teenager’s neck. That’s when 39-year-old Marcus Dowdell tried to help the teenager.
“Do not grab me like that,” Dowdell said.
“You are under arrest,” the officer replied.
Dowdell was placed in handcuffs by several officers before one pointed a taser at him, threatening to use it.
Officers also arrested Ciera Ramon, 48, on charges of trying to interfere with the arrest.
Many people online were shocked by the violent arrest.
“From the body camera footage, she was already contained enough to get the handcuffs on her before he put his knee on her neck. He did this for no reason,” Davii Hough wrote on Facebook.
“Well, you can definitely tell which officers were there to protect and serve and which officer was there to rule and conquer.” Derek Paloney added.
“The cop going on her neck after they already had her…wild. The cop going to take someone already calmed down and in cuffs, wild,” Kimberly Parker wrote.
“She already had three officers holding her neck and arms; he definitely was out of line for that 100%,” Tee Palmy Palms commented.
Elyria Police Chief James Welsh acknowledged concerns around the videos.
“The officer took a top-mounted position and applied pressure with his shin to the upper back and neck area of the juvenile to prevent her from rolling over while she was being handcuffed,” Welsh said on Facebook. “I have concerns regarding the officer’s actions.”
The officer was placed on administrative leave with pay pending the competition of an administrative investigation.
The officer was placed on administrative leave with pay pending the competition of an administrative investigation.
Attorney Alex Bodiford represents Dowdell and the 15-year-old in the case. He spoke with Atlanta Black Star.
“Something that bothers me about it is the fact that [the officer] is still getting paid,” Bodiford said. “In my eyes, they’re giving this guy a paid vacation. He’s probably in Disney World as we speak.”
Bodiford also clarified that the officer who ran up and slammed his knee on the teenager is on leave, not the officer who mounted her.
The 15-year-old is facing charges of harassment by an inmate and four misdemeanors. Ramon was charged with two misdemeanors. Dowdell was taken to the Lorain County Jail and is charged with assault on a peace officer.
“I believe that there should be a policy that bans this type of thing, especially after what happened with George Floyd,” Bodiford said. “This young lady is 15 years old. She may have been cutting up a bit, but that amount of force the police used on her was not proportional.”
Bodiford also told Atlanta Black Star that Dowdell was just a passerby when he intervened to help the teenager.
“I believe that the community should rally around him,” Bodiford said. “I’m sure he has a family that loves him. He put himself in jeopardy…he really did something selfless.”
