WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Warren police officer is on administrative leave and under investigation after a physical altercation with two brothers outside a youth basketball game was caught on camera. The case is now headed to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office for review.
See the full story in the video below
The confrontation broke out in the parking lot of the Warren Community Center — in full view of children, families and staff — involving the off-duty officer and brothers Chris and Gabriel Yates.
Chris Yates said the scuffle followed an argument and a prior run-in with the officer at another game a few weeks earlier.
"You could hear my daughter in the video frantically screaming, 'Leave us alone, leave us alone, my dad hasn't done anything to you,' and he just continued with the assault — he just continued with the assault," Chris Yates said.
Watch video of the fight below:
Attorney Arnold Reed is planning to file a lawsuit on the Yates brothers' behalf. Reed described the confrontation as one-sided.
"Gabe was saying, you know, 'You need to calm down, you need to just leave my brother alone,'" Reed said.
"One thing led to another and then you see the officer strike first blood. He hits him and keeps hitting him and Gabe falls to the ground. The officer is over Gabe, kneeing him and just relentlessly beating him. Then you see Chris come from around a tree, in between them and he's holding the officer back — but the officer is still swinging wildly," Reed said.
Chris Yates said his brother Gabriel suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent two days in the hospital. Chris said he sustained a black eye and lost a tooth. He said neither he nor his brother struck the officer back, fearing it would have escalated the violence.
Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said there is another video that may challenge the Yates brothers' account of the incident. He said the case is being sent to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office for review.
"There is some dispute as to who's at fault and who started the altercation. There's some legitimate dispute about that. But what is indisputable is that we had adults at a youth recreational activity who got into a physical altercation. We all have a responsibility as adults to make sure that we're modeling the behavior we want our children to see — especially at these youth events," Hawkins said.
Watch our full interview with Commissioner Eric Hawkins below:
Hawkins said the department's internal investigation is in its final stages and that all parties involved will be held accountable.
"Everyone involved in that incident — their actions will be analyzed and examined. We wanted to make sure we had a neutral third party look at this. It's important to make sure those who are responsible are held accountable," Hawkins said.
Randy Wimbley is your Warren reporter. To reach him for any story ideas, you can email randy.wimbley@wxyz.com.
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