Ashland PD says use of force was justified in viral video

A violent incident between an Ashland Police Officer and a suspect she arrested was caught on camera and it’s spreading on local Facebook pages. The video shows an Ashland police officer punch a suspect in the head multiple times. Chief O’Meara said the use of force was unfortunate but justified.

“The officer was striking him in the face, which was entirely appropriate,” said Chief O’Meara. He said around 6 p.m. on August 17, two different calls came in about 28-year-old Stephen Smith. “One complaint was that he had been abusing his dog… he broke a beer glass, flipped a table, at some point he spit on a staff member at Creekside pizza and threatened him,” said Chief O’Meara.

He said when police got there, they attempted to arrest him on disorderly conduct charges, but Smith fought officers. “He’s the one that directed the situation and the officers were responsive to what he was doing. It’s not that they were wanting to use force against him but they used that force that was necessary to overcome his aggression,” said Chief O’Meara.

Smith was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault of a peace officer. “He was bucking the female officer off of him, causing her head to hit the concrete you see behind them in that video,” said Chief O’Meara.

While camera footage of police use of force is nothing new, the incidents always draw attention. Especially this year in the wake of George Floyd’s death. “It’s never a good situation when force has to be used but in this situation this individual is the one who sent it in this direction,” said Chief O’Meara.

Every year, Ashland PD releases an annual use of force report on it’s website. It shows Ashland Police used force 31 times in 2019, an increase from 2018’s 25 incidents. The report also shows that the use of force is used in less than one percent of all cases handled by APD.

NBC5 News asked for the officer’s body cam footage of the incident, but Chief O’Meara says it’s unavailable because it’s part of an ongoing investigation.