AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The man involved in a violent arrest caught on camera in Aurora spoke out on Friday.
“I just felt like I was attacked,” Preston Nunn III said at a press conference Friday.
A traffic stop on May 15, in Aurora, lead to Nunn’s arrest.
James Allbee, a tactical expert and former law officer, said missteps happened before this altercation, starting with the Aurora officer’s approach to Nunn.
“It automatically put the drive on kind of defensive mode,” Allbee said.
Allbee said Nunn didn’t help what was already brewing up to be a hostile situation.
“The driver didn’t do much to deescalate the situation either,” Allbee said.
An ideal traffic stop involves an officer explaining to the driver why they were stopped and what they might be charged for.
“There could’ve been some better questions with the office that would’ve lead to not getting to that point,” Allbee said.
One question the officer asked caught Allbee’s attention. “You know why I stopped you, right?”
Allbee said this is a tactic that can be very open ended.
“Some of that, to me, opens the conversation up to, unnecessarily, to argument,” Allbee said.
“What happened to him we want not to happen to anyone else again,” local civil rights activist, Alvertis Simmons, said.
Simmons, along with other activists, came to Nunn’s side at a press conference on Friday, with demands following the release of this body cam video.
“We want all four officers involved in the May 15 arrest, fired … we want the Department of Justice to get involved,” Simmons said.
As for Nunn, he said he wants personal closure from the emotion and physical effects of his arrest back in May.
“I’m just looking for justice, that’s all,” Nunn said.
Regarding how to comply during a traffic stop, Allbee spoke from personal experience on both sides of the situation.
“I roll down all the windows in the car,” Allbee said. “I turn on my dome light and I leave my hands up on the steering wheel.”
This arrest has yielded reaction from activists but what do police have to say about it?
The Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 49 said they do not support the actions of Aurora administration after this incident and have no confidence in Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson.
While some people criticize the actions of the officers in the video, the police union maintained this arrest was done by the books.
The police union specifically defended the officer’s actions after Nunn was asked to produce his license and registration.
“I think the officers that were involved were as professional as they could be,” Lodge President Marc Sears said.
“The most common place that people keep contraband that could be used as a deadly weapon is in their front waistband,” Sears added.
In their statement about the incident, Aurora Police said Nunn ignored orders to stop reaching for his waist.
The department’s statement went on to say an internal review recommended the arresting officer receive training on de-escalation, communication and other tactics.