‘Disciplinary measures’ issued after Beaufort PD reviews arrests circulated on social media
The Beaufort Police Department enacted “disciplinary measures” after completing its review of a controversial set of arrests on Thanksgiving night. A short cellphone video of the incident was widely shared on social media, prompting accusations of unfair treatment and excessive use of force.
Department officials concluded the review process Tuesday after reviewing written reports, body camera footage and officers’ dashcam videos, according to spokesperson Lindsey Edwards. Two Beaufort officers who responded to the scene were placed under temporary suspension as a result, she said.
The internal investigation found that “charges were lawful” for the four arrests made that night, according to a Wednesday afternoon press release. None of the four suspects or arresting officers were injured, the release says.
The use-of-force review also led to additional department-wide training for deescalation, response to resistance and leadership skills, Edwards said.
Six officers from the Beaufort Police Department responded to the string of arrests, according to an incident report. Sheriff P.J. Tanner said his command staff reviewed the body camera footage of a single deputy who was present and found no signs of misconduct.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette requested copies of bodycam and dashcam footage from the incident via a Freedom of Information Act request Dec. 2, but the request for the videos had not been fulfilled as of Wednesday afternoon. Police in South Carolina are not required to release body camera footage under FOIA law, although courts can order the release of the videos during criminal and civil litigation.
1 traffic stop, 4 arrests
Around 11 p.m. Nov. 28, Beaufort police pulled over a vehicle with a headlight out that was “observed swerving” near the intersection of Boundary and Palmetto streets, the release says. Officers arrested a man for driving under the influence, driving under suspension and resisting arrest.
The passenger in the first vehicle then “became belligerent” and reportedly tried to interfere in the driver’s arrest. As officers tried to detain the passenger, he “actively resisted arrest” and was tased before being charged with resisting arrest, the release says.
A sister of the two men, who owned the first vehicle that was pulled over, then arrived at the scene in another car. One of her brothers had called to ask if she could pick up the car from the scene of the arrest, she told The Island News.
The woman was asked by police to contact a tow truck but “physically assaulted” the tow truck driver when he arrived, according to Beaufort police. She then returned to to the second car and “refused multiple commands to exit.” At that point, officers “were forced to remove her from the vehicle,” according to the release.
The passenger of the second vehicle began video recording as police pulled the driver from the car. With her cellphone in hand, she circled around the back of the vehicle and approached the officers, who by then had the driver of the second car on the ground with her hands behind her back.
“Back up — now!” a Beaufort policeman yells at the woman with the cellphone.
“How you gonna tell me to back up?” she asks as a sheriff’s deputy leads her away from the woman on the ground.
“Because I just f***ing did,” the officer responds.
Shortly after, the video shows another Beaufort officer approaching the camerawoman and trying to detain her.
“What is you grabbing me for? I didn’t even do nothing,” she says, claiming that the officers were grabbing her hair.
The passenger in the second vehicle was arrested for interference because she “repeatedly” ignored officers’ instructions to stay back, according to the release from the Beaufort Police Department.
This story was updated at 1 p.m. Thursday to reflect new information provided by Lindsey Edwards, spokesperson for the Beaufort Police Department.
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 4:39 PM.
