ANN ARBOR, Mich. – About 200 protestors showed up Wednesday in Ann Arbor to protest the arrest of a teenager that was caught on video tape at the Transit Center. But it might be the teenager who ends up being charged in the case.
Police were called Tuesday to the Transit Center in Ann Arbor because of reports of a big fight that had broken out.
Ciaeem Slanton said he wasn't part of the fight, but when a police officer told everybody to leave the bus stop, he refused.
Cameras inside the Transit Center captured the Ann Arbor officer taking Slanton to the ground after he refused the order.
"He tried to grab me and I'm like, 'Watch out bro, you don't need to touch me, I'm walking'" Slanton said. "Then, all of a sudden he yanks me up, and then I almost fell over but he kind of caught me. Then we go into the transit, and he says, 'You move one more time, I'm going to take you down.'"
Slanton said he missed the fight and just wanted to get on the bus. Police cleared the whole area because the fight was out of control, officials said.
"He was, like, 'You've got to leave right now,'" Slanton said. "He was pointing at me. I was, like, 'Why do I have to leave? What did I do?' He's, like, 'You've got to leave right now. Just leave.' I was, like, 'What have I got to do? I'm just waiting for my bus.' He was, like, 'Leave before I give you a trespass.' I was, like, 'What did I do? I didn't do anything.'"
After the video of an officer forcing him to the ground surfaced on social media, about 200 protesters marched in Ann Arbor Wednesday, upset over the teenager's treatment. Slanton didn't participate.
"Me and my friend, we got caught in something, so, like, we couldn't make it," Slanton said. "For the protest, I think it was good. I think it's going to change something."
Slanton said he would like an apology from the police department.
Slanton's mother saw surveillance video of the tackle.
"I was hurt," Tria Moore said. "I was frustrated. I was angry. It was just a lot of different emotions."
Steve Dolunt, a retired assistant Detroit police chief, said the officer's actions stopped the teen from resisting.
"He doesn't have his knee in his back," Dolunt said. "He doesn't have his knee in his neck. He has his leg wrapped around so the kid can still breathe. The young man is laying on his side. I give them both credit. The kid realized, 'Uh oh.' He handled it great."
"To say that he was resisting, I don't see anywhere in the camera where he was clearly resisting," Moore said. "He was walking with the officer."
Ann Arbor police said everything is still under investigation, but they submitted a warrant to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office for trespassing and resisting arrest.
The officer has not been suspended. He is still on duty with pay.