Deputies attacked in Mount Clemens, suspects claim police brutality

(WJBK) - Four people have been arrested and charged after a violent encounter with Macomb County sheriff's deputies. The officers say they were attacked, and the young adults arrested say they are victims of police brutality.

Phone video shows the chaotic scene that took place on Walnut Road in Mount Clemens.

"It is very scary to think that we would have anyone in our communities who would want to attack us like that," said Sgt. Renee Yax, Macomb County Sheriff's Department.

The Macomb County Sheriff's Department says a deputy was attacked and injured Wednesday night after pulling over a vehicle. The department says the vehicle was pulled over because it looked as if someone threw narcotics out of it.

"The passenger immediately got out and started to walk away from him," Yax said. "He ordered him back to the vehicle which he ignored completely, the officer was catching up to him and he took off running."

Investigators say once the deputy caught 22-year-old Jonathan Hadley, 19-year-old Yahaira Elisea Moreno attacked him.

"She was on his back, pulling at his clothing, scratching him," Yax said. 

Then, according to the sheriff's department, Hadley's brother Jordan Herrod joined in.

"He runs at the deputy, pushes him over and he starts striking him as well," Yax said.

But Jonathan Hadley, Sr. says his son who walked away from the deputy, was trying to get him out of bed.

"I get woke up and the cops are beating the (expletive) out of my children," he said.

He says his two sons and the two women arrested were victims of police brutality.

"As soon as my son got to the steps right here, (the deputy) dive-tackled him and started punching him  and everything else," Hadley said. "He tased him. He's already on the ground and he tased him. Then he takes his knee, and pop right in his head, three or four times."

More deputies arrived at the scene as well as neighbors and relatives. Their cell phone cameras were rolling, and they're telling FOX 2 a different version of the story.

"We come out and all we see is a cop and then the cop punches Yahaira, the girl, the female, in the face," said Brandon Herrod, brother of the two suspects. "And that's when Jordan says 'You just hit my girl in the face' and he went to get between them and that's cop, when they started to fight."

A fourth woman, Diamond Smith, was arrested and charged. The sheriff's department says she tried to remove something from the car while the others were being arrested and refused to put down whatever she grabbed and back away from the vehicle.

"She went up in there to get her baby," said Brandon Herrod. "She handed her baby to somebody then she went to get her diaper bag and that's when they grabbed her and forced her to the ground for no reason. She didn't do anything just because she was grabbing her baby and her diaper bag."

"(They) grabbed that girl by the back of her head and slammed her to the ground," said Jonathan Hadley, Sr.

FOX 2: "Any idea if anything was found in the car? Any drug paraphernalia or narcotics?

"I don't have that information," Yax said. "I'm not sure what they ended up finding."

"If they threw something out the car where is it then," Jonathan Hadley Sr. said. "They checked that whole car, they didn't find anything."

The father of the two men arrested says he plans on filing a complaint against the sheriff's department. In the meantime, all four are due to appear in court. Two of the suspects face four year felonies, two are charged with two year felonies.