A short time later, the phone called 911 again and hung up. This led police to believe the assailant may have returned, so police went to the scene. Police found two men in the area, including Harvey, who police say matched the description of the suspect and was behaving suspiciously. Officers had the name of the suspect they were looking for, but Harvey did not have an ID on him to prove that he was not the suspect. Harvey was later determined not to be the suspect in the assault, and police later found the actual suspect. As police were still trying to determine Harvey’s identity, police say he began to walk away, and officers told him he was being detained but not arrested. Smythe said Harvey resisted. Per protocol, the officers grabbed both of his arms. The man then “swung elbows,” according to Smythe. Officers tried to bring Harvey to the ground to cuff him properly, but the man partially broke loose and began trying to go down the street, according to the police chief. That’s when an officer used a Taser on the man. Smythe said Harvey took control of the Taser and shoved it into one of his arresting officers’ chest, shocking him. Another officer was also shocked by the wires. An officer then repeatedly hit Harvey to stop the attack.This started after a woman called police and said she had been assaulted. She said she was going to file a report the next day. Then officers got a 911 hang up, she thought attacker was back so police came back out to her place on Apple Street.
— Lindsay Tuman (@LindsayOnTV) October 7, 2019
Police say Harvey then bit an officer’s thigh. Officers were able to subdue Harvey using the RIPP Hobble method and made sure he was breathing properly and did not have any obvious injuries. Jail staff determined Harvey was under the effect of either alcohol or drugs, and he was brought to the hospital. The police chief said he later met with the suspect in the hospital. He says Harvey has no bruising, swelling or broken bones and does not appear to have been substantially harmed by officers. After reviewing the bodycam video, Smythe said the video posted to social media begins about 51 seconds after officers first made contact with Harvey. Smythe said there is “absolutely” a need for investigation and that the police department will be doing an internal investigation. No officers, however, were suspended. The police chief asks anyone who intends to watch the video to watch with the sound off to form an opinion without the comments from police or bystanders. Smythe said he cannot show the bodycam video without a court order which the department is working to get. The police department invited NAACP and Martin Luther King Coalition of Alamance to the Monday press conference. According to arrest warrants, Harvey initially told officers his name was Travis, a fake name, before later punching Officer P.D. Bolling in the face, breaking the skin above his eye, punching Officer W. Steele, breaking the skin on his cheek, punching Officer Thaddus Hines, breaking the skin on his hand, using a Tazer on Hines and knocking Hines unconscious.Chief says in the struggle Harvey grabs one of the officers Tasers and began shocking 2 police officers with the taser. That’s when the officers begin to strike the suspect. He says that’s when the suspect begins to bite a police officer in the leg.
— Lindsay Tuman (@LindsayOnTV) October 7, 2019
Martin Luther King Movement of Alamance County- she says when she first saw the video she was appalled. But the most important thing is to gain information and put emotion aside. pic.twitter.com/pN3wTGPWP7
— Lindsay Tuman (@LindsayOnTV) October 7, 2019