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Deputies slam man on ground after driving through barricade
Cellphone video captured a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy taking a Detroit man to the ground during an unrelated arrest near an active barricade situation in Ypsilanti Township Friday night.
YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Authorities are investigating after cellphone video captured a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy taking a Detroit man to the ground during an arrest Friday night in Ypsilanti Township.
Big picture view:
According to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 7:30 p.m. to the 1100 block of Harris Road for a barricade situation.
Officials said a 911 caller reported that her boyfriend had attempted to shoot her. Deputies learned that a 38-year-old man might be inside the home with two young children. Because deputies believed the man was armed and refusing to come outside, they established a safety perimeter.
Authorities attempted to communicate with the man and resolve the situation peacefully while confirming the children inside were safe.
Dig deeper:
While the barricade situation was ongoing, around 9:30 p.m., an unrelated vehicle drove through the secured area at a high rate of speed, disregarding police vehicles and deputies' commands to stop.
Deputies used a tire-deflation device to disable the vehicle. The driver, identified by family members as 35-year-old Derrick Tinsley, exited the vehicle but did not comply with deputies' commands.
Cellphone video captured a deputy taking Tinsley to the ground, causing him to hit his head on a concrete curb.
Authorities are investigating after cellphone video captured a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy taking a Detroit man to the ground during an arrest Friday night in Ypsilanti Township. (Cierra Carr)
What they're saying:
"I initially thought that he had died. There’s no way he could have survived that," Tinsley’s sister, Aiyana Hard-Hayes, told FOX 2. "His hands were in the air. At that point, there’s no way he was a threat. You could’ve grabbed his hand and arrested him."
Hard-Hayes said Tinsley was not running and did not have a weapon.
What we know:
Tinsley was taken into custody for disregarding multiple barriers and driving through the active barricade scene.
Officials said Tinsley appeared to be intoxicated and had children in his vehicle.
The children involved in the barricade situation were found safe, as were the children in the vehicle that drove through the police perimeter. All the children were released to family members.
No injuries were reported among those involved, including Tinsley.
The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said it is reviewing the video, along with information from the barricade scene and Tinsley's arrest.
The Source: FOX 2 used original reporting and information from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office for this story.