Bodycam Captures Akron Police Officer Repeatedly Shoving Snow in Man’s Mouth During Arrest
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Akron, Ohio — The Akron Police Department released body camera videos of Officer John Turnure during a Feb. 7, 2021 arrest that prompted an internal investigation into use-of-force. The officer, John Turnure, submitted his resignation of March 30 in the middle of the investigation. The police union cited personal and professional reasons, not the incident in February, in explaining why Turnure was leaving. Acting Chief Mike Caprez described the video of the arrest as “textbook,” saying officers did everything right until Officer John Turnure appears to shove snow into the suspect’s mouth. The suspect, 26-year-old Charles Hicks and his attorney told that the police used excessive force, but Akron police said they released the video to avoid the community jumping to conclusions based on bad information.
The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Feb. 7, after Hicks’ girlfriend called 911 to report that Hicks threatened her with a knife and that she was scared for the safety of her children in the home on Vernon Odom Drive in West Akron, according to police documents released. She claimed Hicks was hitting people and threatening them with knives and guns. Body-cam footage shows Hicks standing on the front porch, accusing officers of being disrespectful and asserting that he is not “13,” which Caprez said means a “prisoner” or “under arrest.” The video shows officers struggling to arrest Hicks, who they describe as very muscular. Hicks claims an officer put his knee on his neck, but the acting chief said from what he saw in the video, officers pinned him down as they were trained. Police officials said Officer Turnure was out of line when he could be seen putting snow in Hicks’ mouth. Turnure resigned before the internal investigation was complete. Police did not give more details about his resignation.
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