A video posted on social media over the weekend shows Canton, Ohio, police surrounding a man kneeling on the ground with his hands raised, as one officer suddenly runs up and kicks him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
In a statement responding to the incident, the Canton Police Department identified the man kicked to the ground as 21-year-old Jaemiier McElroy and the officer who kicked him as Brandon Momirov.
According to the statement, police responded to reports of an argument on Saturday night. Multiple people fled the scene when police arrived, including one person who was allegedly carrying a firearm. In the statement, police said that suspects “appeared to be complying when Officer Brandon Momirov kicked Jaemiier McElroy … in the chest.”
McElroy was taken to the hospital after the incident and remains in “a lot of pain,” according to his attorney, Bobby DiCello.
Canton police said that Momirov remains employed and his actions are under review. Momirov did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment.
A police report showed that McElroy and two other men were arrested for “obstructing official business” and resisting arrest.
“Our officers frequently face stressful, dangerous situations and confrontations with armed suspects,” Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said in a statement. “Their dedication to the community has resulted in exceptional reductions in violence, especially gun violence, over the past two years.”
DiCello, meanwhile, dismissed the statement as “laughable.”
The attorney said he’s now working on six cases of alleged police violence involving Canton officers. Three of the men in those cases died and three, including McElroy, were seriously injured, DiCello said. All six cases have occurred since Jan. 1, 2022, spanning the two years referenced by Gabbard.
First was the death of 46-year-old James Williams in 2022, who fired celebratory gunshots from his yard on New Year’s Day before a Canton police officer shot and killed him. A grand jury later declined to indict the officer.
Then there was 24-year-old Zachary Fornash, who was accused of brandishing a pellet gun. Body camera footage showed Fornash turning to face Canton police just before an officer shot him. He died at the scene.
In April of this year, 53-year-old Frank Tyson died in Canton police custody after repeatedly telling officers “I can’t breathe,” drawing comparisons to the killing of George Floyd. The coroner’s office later ruled his death a homicide.
In May, a Canton police officer unleashed a K-9 German Shepherd on Kieven Conver, who was already face down and held down by other officers after a traffic stop. Video showed the dog gnawing on Conver for roughly twenty seconds. The officer who deployed the dog was later fired.
In that same incident, a man was arrested, punched and called horrific names by police after he tried to stop the dog attack, according to DiCello.
Canton police have not responded to multiple requests for comment on these incidents.
“There’s a group of people in Canton that are law enforcement officers who are treating ordinary civilians like enemy combatants,” DiCello said.
Canton is about 60 miles south of Cleveland and has a population of roughly 70,000.
DiCello said the frequency of violent police incidents since 2022 was alarming.
“If this was in another context, you’d say that’s a crime spree,” he said.
