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Video sheds light on traffic stop that seriously injured a Maryland man


A video shows the arrest of Demonte Ward Blake in Prince George's County (Video credit: Chinayne Pollard)
A video shows the arrest of Demonte Ward Blake in Prince George's County (Video credit: Chinayne Pollard)
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A series of videos show glimpses into how a police take-down during a traffic stop unfolded after it left a Maryland man partially paralyzed.

Chinayne Pollard, who was with boyfriend Demonte Ward-Blake when police pulled him over, posted video on Instagram that she had recorded during 3 parts of the stop. Pollard said on Instagram that she had recorded additional video, but was handing that directly over to a lawyer.

READ: 24-year-old Md. man 'partially paralyzed' after take-down from officer during traffic stop

In the first video, Pollard is recording the hood of Ward-Blake's car while she speaks with Prince George's Co. officers about the stop.

In the second, Pollard is heard pleading with Ward-Blake while he sits slumped near a curb. An officer who has his arms wrapped around Ward-Blake questions him loudly.

In the third and shortest video, Ward-Blake is seen lying along the curb while an ambulance stretcher sits in the road next to him.

Ward-Blake is still recuperating in a Baltimore hospital after surgery, according to his family, who say that his partial paralysis is due to a spine injury.

In a Saturday press conference, Prince George's Police said that Ward-Blake had been injured while trying to escape an officer, who tackled him to the ground. "This is not an acceptable outcome," Police Chief Hank Stawinski said of Ward-Blake's severe injury.

In her Instagram post, Pollard disputed the police department's description of events, saying that Ward-Blake was flipped on the ground by an officer after talking back to him while being walked to the squad car.

The officer who performed the take-down has been placed on administrative leave, and an internal investigation is ongoing, police say. Dashcam video of the arrest has not yet been released.

Pollard has posted a GoFundMe to raise money for Ward-Blake's medical bills and legal fees, as well as a wheelchair-accessible home.

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