A man was dragged out of a vehicle and reportedly beaten bloody by members of the Erie Police Department in Pennsylvania in a viral video. The footage was shot by the man’s family, who also occupied the vehicle that was pulled over by police around the 2600 block of Cherry Street last Wednesday evening.
Erie police reported that there are two active warrants out for the man, identified as William Arrington. When police observed him in the vehicle, they attempted to take him into custody. In the video, officers can be seen pulling Arrington from the car. There are multiple people seated inside, including his young grandchild in the backseat.
After dragging him out, they reportedly strike him, prompting the individual filming the incident to begin crying and protesting. Arrington is pinned to the ground by multiple officers, who later lift him from the pavement in handcuffs.
According to Erie News Now, Arrington said that the ordeal began when he and his family were heading to the store when officers stopped them. He claimed that when an officer came over to address them, the police referred to him as “Willie Pulliam”.
Arrington said the error, along with his concern for the child in the backseat, led him to refuse to step out of the vehicle. That refusal quickly turned into a confrontation.
Police offered a different version of events in a released statement that said Arrington ignored “eight or more verbal commands” to exit the vehicle and resisted arrest when they attempted to remove him. They added that it took multiple officers to bring him under control and cited his two active warrants as the reason for the stop.
Arrington was eventually taken into custody but later released after being transported to UPMC Hamot Hospital. He now faces additional charges of resisting arrest and failure to comply with police commands.
