'I want their badges': Man shot with pepper balls by IMPD tells his side of story

INDIANAPOLIS -- A video showing a man in downtown Indianapolis being shot by IMPD with pepper balls, taken to the ground and then punched by an officer on the ground is going viral online.




Devin Hunt is the man seen in the video. He now has four welts on his chest where the pepper balls hit him and a cut on his lip from the impact with the ground. The 25-year-old said he's frustrated with the officers' response, saying the officer escalated the situation.




In the video, you see the IMPD officer face-to-face with Hunt. The officer pushes Hunt away and Hunt reacts by knocking away the officer's arm. The officer then fires multiple pepper balls at Hunt and tries to take Hunt to the ground.




"He just hit me with them, grabbed me," Hunt said.




Other officers then joined the fray to get Hunt on the ground. In the video, a different officer can be seen punching Hunt multiple times in the torso. Hunt said his face was also shoved into the concrete, causing his lip to split.

On Monday, Hunt told us he wanted the officers to face consequences.




"That's why I say I want their badges, because I don't want this to happen to anyone else," Hunt said.




IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said the incident and video are under investigation with the IMPD Internal Affairs branch. The investigation will determine if the use of force by the officers was necessary.




"There's a lot that we still don't know at this particular point and that's going to be part of the investigation we started yesterday," Bailey said.




Bailey explained the pepper ball launcher.




"It's like a little paint ball that has a chemical agent in it. It's an individualized tool. It's a less lethal device. It can be used on people that are armed, people that are unarmed, people that are fighting," Bailey said.




When asked if it was used appropriately in this video, Bailey said that's what the investigation will determine.




"It's a specialty tool only assigned to our event response group," Bailey said. "So, those individuals that deal in large crowds continuously so they have extra training and there are policies that relate to that tool as well as the general order on use of force and the state law about when force can be used."




Bailey said investigators are looking at video from the area, including body-worn cameras. In a statement Sunday, IMPD said the video doesn't tell the whole story. The statement went on to claim the man in the video, Hunt, was involved in a physical confrontation with another man amid a gathering crowd. IMPD said officers intervened and gave commands for both men to separate.




Hunt admits he was in a confrontation with another man, but said it was not physical.




"My intent was not to hurt somebody," Hunt said. "My intent was not to make somebody else think I was trying to hurt somebody."




In the statement, IMPD also said the punches to Hunt's torso were used to "secure compliance and take him into custody."




The statement also claimed Hunt had a gun. Hunt confirmed this, saying he has a license to carry. He added he never went for or touched his weapon during either incidents.




"I'm not going to use my firearm around so many people, that's putting them in danger," said Hunt. "He swung me around and didn't know I had a firearm on me. That firearm has a safety mechanism on it and thank God that firearm did not go off."




Currently, Hunt is not facing charges, but Bailey said the Marion County Prosecutor's Office has asked IMPD to investigate the incident further to see if charges will be necessary. Bailey said he's hoping Hunt will talk to investigators.




"Hopefully, during the investigation, he'll provide our investigators with this statement that may add clarity to it," Bailey said.




The Marion County Prosecutor's Officer reiterated that no charges have been filed against Hunt at this time, but the investigation remains pending.




At the moment, the status of the officers involved will not change; they will continue doing their job as normal as the investigation continues.





via: https://fox59.com/indiana-news/i-want-their-badges-man-shot-with-pepper-balls-by-impd-tells-his-side-of-story/