A chilling video that shows police officers storming a home in Georgia and threatening to stun-gun, beat, and even “cane” the residents is gaining attention for its stark portrayal of what its creators say is police brutality.
According to Natania Griffin, several DeKalb County police officers came to arrest her on July 26 at 1:30 a.m., over a $1,000 civil fine that was 15 days late. She described the ensuing raid on her home as “sheer terror.”
A 19-minute cell phone video taken by Griffin's 23-year-old son, Donovan Hall, during the chaos first shows police officers banging on the family’s front door, while screaming the address of a different house.
“I was immediately confused as to why the police would be at my house,” Hall said in an interview Thursday with HuffPost Crime. “The knocks became more and more aggressive.”
Hall said he feared for the safety of his mother, his 5-year-old sister and his 20-year-old brother, Roger Devon Reuben, all of whom were inside the house. He called 911 to ask why the officers were there, before reluctantly opening the front door.
In the video, a tearful Griffin can be heard saying: “If I’m dead in the morning, you’ll know why.”
The video shows eight officers and a sergeant immediately arrest Griffin before swarming the two brothers. Though it can’t be clearly seen in the video, Hall alleges that officers threw both men to the ground before beating them. (Story continues below.)
“One officer hit me in the face with his gun and I fell to the floor,” Hall told HuffPost. “Another officer began kicking me and bending back my arms. They put handcuffs on me and continued to kick and punch me. At that point, an officer with his knee in my back stood up and put both feet on top of my head. He was standing on top of my head.”
Several calls to DeKalb County Chief Deputy Jeffrey Mann went unanswered. In an interview with CBS Atlanta, Mann said the video shows no excessive force, but admits that two of the officers used "inappropriate language."
“Put cuffs on his big ass!” one officer shouts in the video. “You open the door when I tell you to open the door.”
The officer continues his tirade, repeatedly threatening to stun-gun both men. “Fuck with me if you want to,” the officer says, as both brothers plead with the police, asking why they’re being arrested.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” Reuben cries out as he begins breathing heavily.
“They put a Taser to my brother’s head,” Hall recalled. In the video, an officer can be heard shouting: “Say something else, I’m [going to] Tase your ass!”
“Why are you being so aggressive, sir?” Hall asks in the video. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”
As the video continues, officers can be heard ordering the brothers to stop crying while threatening to take them both to jail. Later in the video, an officer says: “I wish I could cane both of y’all.”
Hall can be heard telling his brother to “just have faith in God” and to keep praying.
“I felt so helpless and so afraid,” Hall said.
Griffin claims the officers never asked for her name or established her identity and never read her her Miranda rights.
“It was a perfect storm of abusive power and arrogance,” she told HuffPost. “They are criminals. Their conduct was criminal.”
Hall said he asked for names and badge numbers, but when the officers wouldn’t tell him, he didn't push it. “I didn’t want to do anything to further piss them off,” he said. “So I didn’t keep asking. I just stayed quiet.”
Hall posted his video of the incident to YouTube, where it was picked up by Reddit and made the site's front page. The family says they're looking for an attorney to take their case, but don’t have the funds to hire one. They hope that with the video going viral, someone will come forward to represent them pro bono.
“Although it happened to my family, it’s a microcosm of the world,” Griffin said. “What about the other countless families who feel powerless against this kind of tyranny? Who is championing their cause? This is a problem.”
Griffin said she has paid the $1,000 fine.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.