ST. LOUIS 鈥 狐狸视频 police are defending their actions in detaining members of a Mark Twain neighborhood family at gunpoint last month following an unrelated car chase, an incident captured on a now-viral video.
India Harvey said her 17-year-old son still has marks on his arm after police restrained him on the ground on Aug. 23. The video, recorded on Harvey鈥檚 Ring door camera, shows police pointing a gun at the teen and taking him to the lawn after, Harvey said, he was trying to put his dog back inside the house.
The incident occurred in the 5800 block of Ferris Avenue. Harvey鈥檚 son and two of her nephews were on the porch with their dog when a car came crashing into their lawn, followed by a police car.
鈥淚 felt like I was in a foreign country where they drag you out of your house, and chop your head off,鈥 Harvey told the Post-Dispatch. 鈥淭his needs to stop. You made my baby feel less of a man, for what?鈥
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Officials with the 狐狸视频 Police Department said they were investigating known car thieves in the area. Around 12:30 p.m. that day, officers chased the driver of a stolen Cadillac CTS into Harvey鈥檚 yard.
Police officials told the Post-Dispatch that it is common practice to be cautious in such situations, particularly if they suspect someone at the scene may be armed.
According to police reports obtained by the Post-Dispatch, the residence had 11 calls for service in the last four years, including the incident from Aug. 23.
鈥淲e hope to provide more details about one of the individuals involved that will hopefully shed some light on the situation,鈥 said Sgt. Charles Wall, a police department spokesperson.
The video of last week鈥檚 event, which had nearly 250,000 Instagram views as of Tuesday, shows police arresting the car theft suspect as the three people watched from their porch. It shows Harvey鈥檚 nephew going after the Harveys鈥 dog, which was running out to the car.
A police officer then draws his gun and detains that man. Another officer is seen with his gun drawn, pointing it at 17-year-old Harvey鈥檚 son, Anthony, who was standing on the porch. The officer then pulls Anthony out into the yard and takes him to the ground. Eventually, Harvey鈥檚 nephew, who police detained, is seen on the ground.
An officer also takes another of Harvey鈥檚 children 鈥 a 16-year-old who had just come out to investigate 鈥 from the porch along with Harvey. It鈥檚 unclear from the video if he was handcuffed like the first two people that officers detained.
Police said they recovered a stolen firearm from the scene and located another stolen car in the area.
India Harvey said the police took a firearm from her nephew, but it was returned to him when he showed them his license to carry. She said she saw police retrieve another firearm from the stolen Cadillac. She said no one in her family steals cars.
Records obtained by the Post-Dispatch show that police calls to this address included a call for shots fired and a fight. But Harvey said no police have come to her home during the five years she鈥檚 lived there. Rather, the calls for service included incidents that happened in the neighborhood near her home, she said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even want to be affiliated with this block anymore,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his end is really peaceful.鈥
Harvey said she did not know the driver of the stolen vehicle. She said she understood the police had to do their job, but she added that her family was not involved with the suspect or the stolen car.
She said it was difficult to watch her unarmed teenage son on the ground with a gun pointed at him. It felt like the family was profiled and the aggression of the police was unwarranted, she said.
鈥淚 want some real answers,鈥 she said. 鈥淲atching that happen to your child, it鈥檚 a different kind of hurt.鈥