Officials at a New Jersey college say campus police were justified in using force and drawing their guns on students in order to break up a fight on the same day that former Vice President Joe Biden was visiting. Amateur video captured on a cell phone Wednesday shows campus police at Montclair State University detain four African American men in what appears to be a parking lot. One of the men detained has his hands up in the air while the other is tackled by a uniformed officer. Two officers then handcuff three other men who were pinned to the ground.Other officers arrive on the scene and demand that another passenger sitting in a vehicle exit the sedan.
As the passenger gets out of the car, he is pulled to the ground by another officer and handcuffed. A third passenger in the back seat of the car is then told to lie face down while he, too, is handcuffed. The video, which was filmed by student Jaffer Mehdi, was posted to Twitter and went viral. As of late Friday, it had been viewed more than 372,000 times and retweeted more than 5,600 times. Mehdi began filming when he noticed an officer arrive at the scene where two men were fighting.‘One of the men put his hands up and the officer drew his gun... that’s where the video starts,’.
Mehdi says that all of the men arrested with one exception are students enrolled at Montclair State. It was evident from the video that at least three officers had their guns drawn outraging social media users who say that police used unnecessary and excessive force. But New Jersey officials say that the officers acted appropriately. The incident took place on the first day of classes on campus. That same day, Biden appeared at a campaign rally on campus for Mikie Sherrill, a candidate for Congress.
The university said that the officers took ‘every precaution necessary’ to ensure that people on campus were safe.‘While the optics in the video may be unclear, the reality is that the officers acted according to New Jersey Attorney General guidelines and the process worked,’ the university said. The university also said that the men involved in the fight refused to lie on the ground when told to by officers. Officials also said that because the car had tinted windows, officers were unable to be certain if there was movement inside.‘Because of the uncertainty of the situation, the officer drew his weapon to secure the scene until back-up arrived,’ the university said. One of the men arrested was charged with simple assault. Another was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Two others were released at the scene, according to the university. Mehdi, however, says that the perception among students it that the officers acted with excessive force.‘I believe the police response was excessive,’ Mehdi says.‘In the video shows that four officers drew their guns at unarmed men, dragged one man from the car and pointed guns at the men as they were being handcuffed and compliant.