City addresses circulating video of SBPD officer detaining juvenile

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- A cell phone video, widely circulated on social media over the weekend, shows a South Bend Police officer detaining a juvenile.

Dr. Oliver Davis Jr., at-large South Bend Common Council member, said he was shocked to see the video, sent to him Saturday while he was at church.

"It was frightening when you heard the scream of the young person screaming out, 'They didn't do it, they didn't do it,'" Davis said. "When you see a 10-second video like that, with the history of our country, it causes a lot of uproar."

South Bend Mayor James Mueller took time to address the video, as well as other weekend violence, with the news media on Monday afternoon.

"Nobody likes the image of seeing an officer using force on a resident, much less a younger resident," he said.

A 911 call for an unwanted person or disturbance was made at the McDonald's in downtown South Bend at 1 p.m. Friday.

Police would not confirm the age or gender of the juvenile in the video.

After it was shared online across the community, Police Chief Scott Ruskowski released a statement, promising to adhere to the police department's "multi-layered review process."

"The process within our department, our internal affairs group, and then there's also this parallel process with the civilian review board," Mueller said.

SBPD also promised to release the officer's body camera footage, which Mueller said will hopefully be released this week.

Because this case deals with a minor, SBPD told ABC57, there must be an added layer of review for any information the department can release. This means the juvenile's identity has to be redacted from the bodycam footage, which is why it's taking multiple days to prepare.

"We need to make sure that we have transparency to see what's going on," Davis said. "Because the transparency of the body camera helps us to paint the picture, helps us to understand what happened."

Something else from that video that alarmed Davis, he said, is a mystery third person in the video, wearing a plaid shirt and looking like an ordinary citizen, seemingly getting involved and helping the police officer.

That's a giant question mark for ABC57, too; it's currently unknown who he is or why he got involved.

Meanwhile, social media comments surrounding the video are taking off. Groups like Black Lives Matter South Bend are outraged.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #36 posted on Facebook, writing, 'This video is gaslighting at it's finest,' further deepening the online debate.

ABC57's Annie Kate asked Mueller if he thought that response was appropriate.

"There's a wide range of perspectives. But I'd say from the FOP president's perspective, he's sharing his perspective that they're trying to do a difficult job, and in his mind, perhaps being judged prematurely and unfairly," he said.

Mayor Mueller is asking for patience from the public as the full picture comes into focus and SBPD can release more details.

"It's not a matter of protecting the blue or protecting the young person, it's a matter of making sure that we have the right story," Davis said.