The Las Vegas police officers who detained Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett in August will not face any disciplinary action, USA Today reports.
During a presser on Friday, Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo said the law enforcement officers involved in the incident had reasonable suspicion to arrest Bennett, but they didn’t mistreat him, the news outlet stated.
The controversial incident occurred when LVMPD officials responded to reports of a shooting at the Cromwell Las Vegas Hotel & Casino following the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match on August 26. When they arrived on the scene, officers suspected that Bennett was involved and apprehend him.
Although Lombardo said the officers “acted appropriately and professionally,” that claim doesn’t align with Bennett’s account of what happened.
Following his arrest, the NFL player, who said he was racially profiled, shared his version of the encounter on social media, claiming that the officers threatened to “blow his f***ing head off” and used excessive force because he was Black, the news outlet reported.
“Nothing he did could be viewed subjectively as suspicious,” Bennett’s lawyer, John Burris, told USA Today. “You can see the pain and the fear in Michael. I think it confirms what we’ve been saying about it. There was a gun. We know that profanity was used.”
According to USA Today, officials said that Bennett was detained because he ran after police officers told individuals in the area to stay on the ground. However, the officer who arrested Bennett claimed that he forgot to turn on his body camera when the incident took place, which has prompted conflicting accounts of what happened.
Out of 861 videos that were reviewed, the department discovered 193 that were connected to the investigation. Bennett’s attorney is seeking access to the footage.
The controversy swirling around Bennett comes at a time when many NFL players are following the lead of Colin Kaepernick by kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality targeting Black men.
SOURCE: USA Today
SEE ALSO:
How Michael Bennett’s Arrest May Help Colin Kaepernick Return To The NFL
Michael Bennett Sr. Opens Up After His Son Is Detained By Vegas Police
