"It was like a nightmare," said Michaele Jackson about the night he says he was physically assaulted by Detroit Police Officer Richard Billingslea.
Jackson's friend, D'Marco Craft, caught the alleged crime on cell phone video.
Detroit Police say store surveillance and officer body cam exists, but Chief James Craig says it is not appropriate to release at this time.
Craig claims the store surveillance video shows Jackson taking a swing at Billingslea. Jackson, a bus driver for the City of Detroit, denies he ever tried to hit the officer.
Craft says Officer Billingslea has harassed him on a few occasions and that night when they spotted him at the gas station, Craft says he wanted to leave to go to another gas station to get some cigarettes.
But Jackson wanted to stay, telling Craft they hadn't done anything wrong and the area was not secured as if a scene was being protected.
Craft says Billingslea then tried to taunt him as Jackson proceeded into the store.
And that's when Craft and Jackson say Billingslea tackled Jackson to the ground.
On cell phone video, you can see Billingslea and his partner, Officer Hakeem Patterson, on the ground with Jackson near an ice cooler just outside the door to the gas station.
"As soon as I reached for the door, I was on the ground," Jackson told reporters at a press conference at their attorney's office Friday morning.
Jackson and Craft are now suing the Detroit Police Department, alleging that their constitutional rights were trampled on and assault.
Prosecutors are reviewing the case for possible chargers against Billingslea. It's unclear what possible charges, if any, Patterson could face.
Jackson and Craft say both officers should be charged with Craft calling Patterson "an accessory."
"Why would you defend rotten apples?" attorney Ari Kresch asked in a question he directs at Chief Craig.
Kresch's firm, 1-800-LAW-FIRM, is representing Jackson and Craft in their lawsuit.
"Why would you do that? What kind of trust are you engendering in the community to go ahead and defend rotten apples."
