Body cam footage showing the arrest of 35-year-old Nykon Brandon, who died an hour later, was released by the Salt Lake City Police Department on Friday. The unarmed man was allegedly attempting to steal a beer from Fisher Brewing located in the Granary District neighborhood of the city.
Footage Shows Brandon Trying to Grab Officer's Gun
The nearly six-minute footage shows Brandon, wearing just his grey-colored underwear, running around the road as he tries to evade the arrest.
As per the reports, in a 911 call made on August 14, the caller said that Brandon was trying to steal the beer from the brewery. "He's running around crazy, very erratic. He just jumped in and out of the road. He's throwing stuff," the caller said. The 911 caller also said that Brandon "definitely mental health issues going on" and asked for mental health resources to be dispatched.
The body-cam footage shows the police instructing the fleeing Brandon to stop. Seconds later he is pushed on the gravel near the road as the cops try to restrain him. At one point the 35-year-old is also seen unsuccessfully trying to grab and remove a cop's holstered gun as they try to handcuff him.
Brandon is seen lying facedown in the gravel as he continues to whimper as he is handcuffed with hands behind his back.
Brandon Suffered a Medical Issue During the Arrest
The New York Post reported that an SLCD press release claimed that the officers were dispatched at 3:16 p.m. local time. It further claimed that Brandon had a medical issue during the incident following which the officers administered several doses of the anti-overdose medication Narcan and perform chest compression.
The department further revealed that they were informed about Brandon's death at 4.16 pm even though the exact time of death is unknown.
In a statement issued after the body-cam footage of the incident was released, SLCPD Chief Mike Brown said, "We are committed to carefully reviewing the investigative findings in this case. As a forward-thinking department, we will use those findings to evaluate our policies, training, and procedures to continue ensuring we are making our city safer."
