Man claims Eastpointe PD used excessive force after refusing Breathalyzer

EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WJBK) - A man says Eastpointe police wrongfully arrested and beat him - and he says he has the police station video to prove it.

On video, 25-year-old Alton Register Jr. yells in agony after he is restrained by multiple police officers, hit and eventually Tasered.

All of it was justified, according to the Eastpointe Director of Public Safety, stemming from this traffic stop on Sept. 6. Register maintains he was not drinking that night, but police say he was driving erratically and pulled him over.

Register told the officer he was a CPL holder and had a weapon with him. The officer asks him to get out of the car and perform a field sobriety test, hold one leg up and balance, and walk a straight line.

"Which I complied to do, passed the test and everything, and they asked me to submit Breathalyzer which I refused," Register said. "I refused moreso because I felt I was being profiled because there was no initial reason for me to be pulled over in the first place."

FOX 2 was told the officers smelled alcohol and because Register doesn't agree to the PBT test, he is handcuffed and taken to Eastpointe Police Department.

"Everything just went downhill from here," he said.

Register calmly refuses to get his blood taken, but things quickly escalate and officers spend the next several minutes trying to force him, according to the video. Already cuffed, Register was placed in a restraint chair. His legs and body are strapped down.

On the video, Register asks if, "Can I read it, can I read my rights?"  But Register's request to see the search warrant was ignored. Multiple officers and two paramedics attempt to get the blood draw.

When Register doesn't comply - he is Tasered.

"They basically punched me in the face, choked me out," he said. "Tased me while I was handcuffed and bound to a chair and basically saying that I was assaulting officers. How do you assault officers when you have don't have any hands and your arms and legs are tied?"

The whole ordeal lasted around 45 minutes. Once officers get his blood sample, Register is locked up.

He is charged with resisting and obstructing an officer, operating under the influence, and carrying under the influence. Although Eastpointe police confirmed that the lab results from that blood draw are still incomplete.

"I would be willing if you gave me the proper paperwork, but my thing is, the way they went about the whole situation was totally wrong," he said. "It was totally disrespectful and demeaning to me as a person."

Register said he is coming forward in hopes of clearing his name. He had recently moved to Arizona where he works for a logistics company and is working to finish his degree.

He was home over the Labor Day weekend to visit family and friends, a trip he now regrets.

"Suing not my main thing," Register said. "My main thing is just basically, me not being in any trouble and I just want my name and my background clear of anything."

One officer was injured in the incident and was off for two days but has since returned to work.

Register went to the hospital after the incident and said the doctors told him he is suffering from Rhabdomyolysis, a severe kidney disorder suffered from a physical trauma that he says was caused by police..