RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Raleigh police have released a series of videos captured on officers’ body-worn and dash cameras during what police said was a use-of-force arrest on January 14.
The videos are related to the arrest of Braily Andres Batista-Concepcion around 10 a.m. on Jan. 14 on Navaho Drive.
Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said the videos were “hard to watch.”
“No officer wants to use force,” Deck-Brown said on Friday. “It’s so much more than complying and complaining. It’s about having mutual respect for one another.
“Our city is better than this.”
Court documents show Batista-Concepcion is accused of leaving the scene of two traffic collisions.
Raleigh police said at 9:30 a.m., Batista-Concepcion was involved in a traffic collision on Wake Forest Road near St. Albans Drive. Batista-Concepcion drove off from the scene where at least two vehicles were damaged.
While driving away, Raleigh police said Batista-Concepcion was involved in a nearby parking lot.
A 911 call was made to report the two collisions.
“We just got run into. He ran into us twice and took off,” the caller says. “They hit me and then. I stopped at the red light and then they looked in the mirror, and they tried to back up to hit me again. So I backed up almost to the UPS truck. I don’t know what was on their mind.”
Batista-Concepcion then plowed into a utility pole at 4320 Wingate Dr. – causing $1,000 in damage, warrants show.
A short time later, officers spotted a vehicle driving erratically near Navaho Drive and pulled that vehicle over.
Officers reported Batista-Concepcion “appeared to be impaired.”
Raleigh police videos show the back window of Batista-Concepcion’s vehicle has been knocked out.
Initially, Batista-Concepcion refused to place his hands on the steering wheel.
An officer’s body camera shows the officer repeatedly tell Batista-Concepcion to turn off the vehicle.
The officer opens the vehicle’s driver side door. Batista-Concepcion is in the driver’s seat counting money.
Batista-Concepcion is ordered at least eight times by officers to exit the vehicle.
Batista-Concepcion continues to grip the steering wheel until a second officer puts Batista-Concepcion in a headlock and pulls him to the ground.
While on the ground, the video shows Batista-Concepcion continue to refuse the officer’s orders by not rolling on his stomach.
An officer knees Batista-Concepcion twice while he is on the ground until he rolls over. The second officer maintains his headlock on Batista-Concepcion.
Officers tell Batista-Concepcion to roll on his stomach four times before he complies.
Batista-Concepcion was processed at the Wake County Detention Center at 10:16 a.m.
He was charged with driving while impaired, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana up to a half-ounce, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, three counts of hit-and-run failure to stop for property damage, and failure to report an accident.
He’s slated to appear in court Jan. 31.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman previously announced she would not request the SBI to investigate the arrest.