Syracuse Police Department officers remain on duty but under investigation after a black man was pulled out of a car during a traffic stop Friday night, Police Chief Kenton Buckner said in a statement Monday.

A viral video posted on Instagram Saturday shows a police officer grabbing the driver of the vehicle by the neck and pulling him out of the car, with a group of officers then holding him down. A male passenger is also removed from the car. The passenger recorded the video, which ends after an officer is seen grabbing the phone.

SPD officer Christopher Buske said in a statement filed in court papers that he was afraid the driver was “concealing a weapon,” Syracuse.com reported. Court records identified Shaolin Moore, 23 of Syracuse, as the driver, according to Syracuse.com. He was charged with resisting arrest and a sound reproduction violation.

Yamil Osorio, the passenger who recorded the video, was released at the scene. In the video, the officer can be heard saying “get the f*ck out of the car or else you’re getting sprayed.”

Buske’s threat was not mentioned in his statement, according to Syracuse.com. Buske said in his statement that he thought Moore had a handgun because he was “reaching for his waistband” as Buske tried to remove him from the vehicle. The video shows the officer hitting Moore in the head.

Buckner said in his statement that the case was already under review when the video was posted. The vehicle was pulled over on Grace Street, in the city’s Westside neighborhood, due to a violation of the city’s sound reproduction ordinance, Buckner said. Sound reproduction refers to playing music loudly.

“I recognize the concerns that have been raised by the community and I want to assure the community that under Department protocol, when officers use force, including this time, we complete a thorough investigation,” Buckner said.

The chief noted that the arrest occurred immediately after a “coordinated police response” in Skiddy Park, where people were selling illegal substances and a handgun was recovered. Officers stopped the vehicle a few blocks from the park, Buckner said.

Mayor Ben Walsh said in a statement that he met with Buckner and SPD leadership on Monday morning to discuss what the department’s next steps are regarding the incident. Walsh reached out to the chief after learning of the incident on Saturday, he said.

“Out of respect for the process and in the interest of both the arrested individual and the officers, we will await the findings of the review,” Walsh said.

Published on June 3, 2019 at 10:55 pm

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