Ala. police release footage of encounter before man’s death

Captured from police body cameras, the footage does not show Ware’s actual arrest or the use of pepper spray.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama police chief says he hopes releasing more than two hours of video and audio footage dispels concerns that a man who died while officers were trying to take him into custody was a victim of police misconduct.

The video below, released by the Tuscaloosa Police Department, may contain footage disturbing to some viewers. Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steven Anderson told a news conference that not all the department’s officers wear body cameras because of budget issues. Anthony Ware, 35, was sprayed with pepper spray and handcuffed during an arrest.

Anderson said that officers initially thought Ware was faking a medical emergency after he was detained. Once outside of the woods, body cameras roll on as officers are approached by upset residents of the apartment complex, including one man who identifies himself as Ware’s brother. The video ends with people confronting the police as they carry Ware’s body. This includes a moment where one officer was performing CPR and heard a loud pop. In the body camera video, the officers discuss what the popping sound could be, and determine that it may have been a rib breaking. Dashcam footage shows a man running away after patrol cars have stopped on the street.

“I got one question: Is he breathing?” one woman asks. An emergency responder said over the radio that Ware had gone into cardiac arrest and CPR was in progress.

A minute or so later in the video, officers search for Ware’s pulse before someone calls for immediate rescue.

“I’m confident that once the autopsy is done, that the autopsy will show that Mr. Ware was not shot as had been previously reported in the community, and Mr. Ware was not tazed to death as it had been previously reported”.

The full unedited audio and video provided by TPD is available below.

YouTube commenters are debating the circumstances of the arrest and the information released. Police had obtained a court order allowing them to release the recordings, which usually are not public record, citing an overriding public interest. Brent Blankley. The caller tells dispatch about Ware’s location and says that he is possibly armed.

“Many times when we deal with individuals that we take into custody, especially if we’ve had to chase them or use any amount of force against them, whether it be OC spray or physical force to overcome their resistance, many times the suspects will pretend that they’re injured and need medical attention”. Anderson also met with Ware’s family on Wednesday to review the video. Anderson said he would push for funding to buy some for the department’s licensed EMTs. Anderson said the officer told him that she may have been able to save Ware’s life if she had been equipped with an automated external defibrillator.

Ware’s family has set up a GoFundMe online account to help with funeral expenses.