An African American man from Ohio expressed deep emotional distress after police deployed a K-9 on him during a traffic stop. The incident occurred as authorities were investigating a vehicle that had been mistakenly identified as stolen, as captured in the body camera footage.
The NAACP branch in Toledo criticized the recent release of the police dog, labeling it as “unwarranted” and “inhumane.”
Brandon Upchurch, a 38-year-old resident of Toledo, shared with ABC News that he experienced a series of unfortunate events on April 11 when he was bitten multiple times by a K-9. The incident left him with seven painful bites on his forearm and elbow, rendering him unable to work ever since.
“I can’t do anything,” he said to ABC News correspondent Ike Ejiochi, expressing his frustration with his already injured elbow.
While driving his cousin home from work, Upchurch was pulled over by officers.
“They came out with their guns drawn right away,” he recalled. “Instead of approaching my car and asking for my license, insurance, or anything else, they immediately came prepared for a confrontation.”
During the incident captured on body camera footage released by the Toledo Police Department, Upchurch was pulled over under the suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle. Throughout the footage, the police can be heard repeatedly requesting Upchurch to exit the vehicle, while he questions the reason behind being pulled over.
“I ain’t even doing nothing,” Upchurch exclaims in the footage, before repeatedly questioning the officers, “What did I do?”
While the officer was handcuffing Upchurch, he informed him that the truck had a stolen license plate. Upchurch continued to deny this repeatedly.
After Upchurch asked for medical attention, an officer assured him that help was on the way. As the officer walked away, he made a derogatory remark to a fellow officer, referring to Upchurch as a “petulant child” for simply requesting medical assistance.
After Upchurch’s arrest, the officers can be heard on the footage acknowledging that the information they had about the license plate was incorrect. They realized that it was a “mishit” or a misread by the license plate reader. It became evident that the license plate on the vehicle Upchurch was driving did not match the plate on the alleged stolen vehicle.
The officer confidently states that it is not the plate causing the issue.
According to Upchurch, he was not posing a threat or attempting to flee, as he informed ABC News.
Upchurch expressed his frustration over the situation, stating that it was unnecessary to escalate the matter over a stolen tag. He pointed out that a simple check of the plates would have revealed that it was not stolen.
“I have all the necessary documents, including a license and insurance. Everything is in order,” he confidently stated. “In fact, he even admitted his mistake on his body camera recording.”
Upchurch faced charges of resisting arrest and obstruction after allegedly failing to comply with multiple commands from officers during an investigation into a stolen vehicle. According to the complaint, he refused to cooperate throughout the entire incident.
I have contacted the Toledo Police Department and the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office for comment, according to ABC News.
The NAACP branch in Toledo is demanding a comprehensive investigation into the incident. They strongly believe that the incident bears resemblance to the use of police dogs on Black demonstrators during the Civil Rights era.
In a statement released on Friday, the organization emphasized that the role of our police force is to serve our communities rather than occupy them, even in situations where they suspect a violation of the law. The statement further highlighted the importance of fairness and justice in the way our police officers interact with community members, acknowledging that misinformation can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.
The statement emphasized that incidents like these not only hinder any progress made in building positive relationships between the community and the police but also highlight the urgent need for training. It firmly declared, “We refuse to regress to the state of affairs that existed in the 1960s!”
According to Upchurch, it is crucial that justice be served.
“It was really scary. I’m genuinely traumatized,” he expressed. “Someone needs to be held responsible.”
He expressed his belief that if they had sneezed incorrectly, the outcome would have been disastrous.
