Man seen in viral arrest video showing officer striking him speaks out
By Adrianna Hargrove
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GREENSBORO, North Carolina (WXII) — A viral video out of Greensboro, just 25 seconds long, is now drawing national attention. Both the city’s police chief and the man who was arrested are responding.
Nathaniel Williams said not only was he hit in the back of the head by an officer this week, but he also claims he also wrongly targeted. GPD police Chief John Thompson said the arrest was justified and that Williams was not hit in the back of the head.
According to the news release, officers spotted Nathaniel Williams while patrolling the area near Studio Six on Veasley Street when they saw that Williams was in a car in a parking lot.
“That hotel, Studio Six, is really a significant area of concern and has been for several months due to crime issues in that area,” Thompson said.
Williams said officers approached him.
“Yeah, they came up to me asking me, ‘How you doing? Can we talk to you?'” Williams said. “I said, ‘Talk to me about what?’ They said, ‘We just want to have a conversation.’ I said, ‘What conversation?’ Like, why me out of everybody outside?’ I’m not the only person in a car that’s parked sitting here.”
According to the news release, officers saw marijuana in Williams’s lap, but Williams denies it. Williams also denies swallowing drugs during the incident.
Thompson says Williams was combative when ordered to get out of the car and resisted arrest.
A 25-second video taken by a witness was posted online showing part of the arrest, where Williams is repeatedly hit by an officer.
“I was the one getting hit, and they had my jacket on top of my head, that’s why I couldn’t breathe,” Williams said.
Thompson said during a press conference about the incident, “The officer was not striking Mr. Williams in the head.”
Thompson further explains that the move shown in the video of the officer striking Williams was a “suprascapular strike” to Williams’ shoulder area after he assaulted one of the officers.
“In this particular case, from what I have seen, it was used to stun that nerve. What you do is when you stun that nerve, it kind of incapacitates that arm temporarily, allowing officers to gain control of that arm,” Thompson said.
Thompson said that method is taught in basic law enforcement training. Thompson also says he will file a petition for the court to make the body cam footage public.
GPD’s Standards Division Investigation is underway.
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