Global Courant
Police in Kansas City, Kansas are investigating an encounter that was videotaped showing a man being detained by multiple officers at a Walmart superstore Thursday.
Christopher Enloe, an uncle of the man in the video posted to TikTok, said his cousin entered the store to get food for his family. He said his cousin was accused of stealing pizza and was tackled by officers.
The Kansas City Kansas Police Department said the incident is being reviewed to determine whether the three officers involved complied with the policy.
Police said the review of the incident began before the video, which was recorded by Enloe and verified by NBC News, was shared online.
Enloe said he called his 24-year-old cousin to bring him some gas after his vehicle broke down in front of the Walmart. After his cousin left, Enloe said he realized the vehicle still wouldn’t start and asked his cousin to come back with jumper cables.
His cousin went in to get food while Enloe waited for his vehicle to start, he said.
Less than 10 minutes later, a woman went to Enloe’s car and told him that his cousin was being tackled by officers, Enloe said.
Enloe said his cousin told him a police officer asked him if he had a receipt for his purchase and after saying he did, he kept walking away. In the video, people can be heard telling officers that the man had a receipt and that he was standing next to them in line to pay.
The officer then ran over, grabbed his cousin by the neck and threw him into a vending machine, the cousin said, according to Enloe. The video shows the interaction after the nephew is already on the floor and being held by a cop.
A second officer approaches him to try to put the nephew’s hands behind his back and appears to be kneeling on the nephew’s neck, as seen in the video.
Enloe is heard telling the man on the ground, who is yelling at officers, to “stop” and obey the officers, according to the video.
Enloe has said his cousin is innocent and the police had no good reason for their actions.
“As far as the police are concerned, we are considered guilty and have to prove our innocence before they have to prove our guilt,” he said.
In a statement, police said the officers “will be held accountable based on the outcome of the investigation”.
“The KCKPD expects all officers to follow all policies, procedures and the law when interacting with the public,” the police said.
Walmart said it would not comment until police released their report on the incident
Police did not immediately respond to a request for information about possible charges.
Cristian Santana contributed.
