Domestic violence arrest on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 5:26pm

On Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 5:26pm officers of the Farmington Public Safety Department were dispatched to the area of Farmington Rd and Shiawassee St. for multiple reports of an assault in progress.  Dispatch informed officers that the male half had thrown the female on the ground twice.  Officers quickly responded to the area and located the vehicle in question at the Shiawassee Park.  The initial arriving officer observed two subjects standing in the grassy area, away from their car.  The male ran toward the female, picked her up and threw her to the ground.  He then began pushing her head into the ground with his forearm.  The officer exited his patrol car and gave loud verbal commands for him to stop.  The two subjects stood up and began walking toward the officer. They were ordered to stop walking; however, they did not obey the officers’, commands rather yelled over each other as they approached him.  The situation was very tense, and the male continued to approach the officer even after he was given loud verbal commands to stop.  The officer was forced to push the male subject back when he came within one foot of the officers’ chest.  To gain control of the situation, the officer attempted to place the male subject in handcuffs.  The subject tensed his arms and pulled them apart in an attempt to thwart the officers’ effort to secure him.  Although the officer was able to place a handcuff on each wrist, they were not properly secured, and the subject continued to yell and lean toward the female subject.  The male subject was taken to the ground so the officer could properly secure the handcuffs.  The female subject, although she had her hands in the air, refused to step back, away from the officer, so was pushed back.  When additional officers arrived, the male was properly secured and searched.

There were two witnesses who observed this incident who both corroborated the sequence of events.

Domestic violence assaults are one of the most dangerous calls police officers respond to.  They are very fluid, and emotionally charged.  This officer was alone and forced to make quick decisions and did so in a manner that did not injure the subject, nor were his actions considered to be an abuse of force.  This officer was faced with a subject who had already violently assaulted a female.  Without quickly and properly securing this physically violent subject, the officer could have been assaulted and injured as well.  The subject was arrested, charged, and arraigned on charges of Domestic Violence.   

The Farmington Public Safety Department reviews all incidents where force is used.  The review of incidents such as this are critical to the department earning its accreditation through the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.  The department holds its members to the highest standards of conduct and training.