SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – The Salt Lake City Police Department released body-worn camera footage on Friday of an incident in which officers arrested a suspect before he later died at the hospital.
The incident happened on Aug. 14 near the area of 356 West 700 South.
The video shown above intentionally begins with 30-seconds of no audio and ends when officers begin to perform first aid efforts on the suspect.
In the 9-1-1 call concerning this incident, a employee of Fisher Brewing Co. in downtown SLC reported that “a guy just tried to run in and steal beer” in his underwear.
Below outlines the sequence of events that took place regarding the OICI incident from 3:16 p.m. to 4:16 p.m.
3:16 p.m.
SLCPD reports that their dispatch center directs officers to a call for service at a business located at 320 West 800 South. SLC911 reportedly notes that a theft suspect, later identified as Nykon Brandon, 35, had “left the business and was running in the roadway.”
3:22 p.m.
Officers with SLCPD locate Brandon around the area of 365 West and 700 South. Police said that when asked by an officer to “stop,” Brandon was non-compliant. A separate video of the incident worn by the second officer on the scene at the time shows Brandon grabbing onto the first officer’s gun, as pictured below. The video then shows Brandon immediately being taken to the ground by one of the officers. He is then seen fighting to get out of the officers’ grips.
3:23 p.m.
A third officer reportedly arrives on the scene. At 00:01:58, the video above showcases Brandon grabbing onto the officer’s gun.
3:24 p.m.
The video above shows Brandon “still actively resisting and not complying with the commands of officers.”
3:25 p.m.
SLCPD officers notified SLC911 that they have taken Brandon into custody, to which SLC911 then generates calls for Salt Lake City Fire and Gold Cross Ambulance. At this time, the video shows Brandon being held down by three officers using their hands and knees.
3:26 p.m.
Brandon is still seen on the ground, and officers are heard in the video above encouraging him to calm down. Simultaneously, officers reportedly prepare to use a safety restraint device “used to protect people from injury when the person is combative.”
3:27 p.m.
Police records state that officers begin to perform medical aid on Brandon.
3:28 p.m.
Not pictured in any of the videos of the OICI incident provided to ABC4, officers reportedly “administer the first of multiple doses of Narcan and started performing chest compressions.” According to the drug’s official website, Narcan is “a potentially lifesaving medication designed to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.”
Brandon was transported to a local hospital where he later died
His cause of death has not yet been released.
At this time, SLCPD says that an in-depth investigation is being conducted by an outside agency, in compliance with the OICI protocol, and that the SLCPD Internal Affairs Unit will also be conducting a second investigation of this incident.
A statement regarding SLCPD’s management of this incident from Chief Mike Brown reads as follows:
“Our police officers come to work every day to protect our community. In the face of great stress, danger, and uncertainty, they are trained to remain professional and show strength and resiliency. We are committed to carefully reviewing the investigative findings in this case. As a forward-thinking department, we will use those findings to evaluate our policies, training, and procedures to continue ensuring we are making our city safer.”
