Trent said that Burton’s car began to move and officers were worried he would drive away, so they broke the window and pulled him out of the car.
Outside the car, both police and Burton say a fight occurred.
According to police reports, Burton could not to be subdued by officers and it took three responding officers to take him to the ground. On the ground, Trent said, Burton continued to struggle forcing police to use a Taser on him.
The Taser, Trent said, apparently didn’t phase Burton, and officers shocked the man twice more — again to no effect.
Burton wasn’t subdued, Trent said, until two additional officers arrived on the scene.
But that story differs with what Burton’s family told the local media Tuesday.
Michael Burton, who came to South Bend from Wisconsin this week to defend his son, told WSBT that Mitchell would not have fought officers and was only try to protect himself. Burton’s family say police used excessive force, especially while using the Taser.
Burton’s family also talked to a resident of Birdsell Street, who claims to have seen the entire incident unfold, including police wiping blood away from their shoes after the incident.
Both police and Burton’s family say Mitchell was injured in the incident. Police took him to the hospital for a laceration above the eye.
In a mug shot taken a short time later at the St. Joseph County Jail, Burton’s left eye appears swollen shut and bruised.
Trent said the department’s internal affairs officer and Chief Darryl Boykins have viewed a video of the incident shot by a squad-car mounted camera. But because of the ongoing investigation, that video can not be released to the public.
Staff writer Dave Stephens:
dstephens@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6209
