Bodycam Footage Shows 'Excessive Force' Arrest of Former Washington State Football Player

Body camera and surveillance footage obtained from police in Pullman, Washington, shows the arrest of former Washington State University football player Treshon Broughton in February of 2017 that led him to file a lawsuit for excessive force.

On October 30, 2018, Broughton alleged in his suit that Pullman police officers used excessive force in his 2017 arrest, according to the Spokane, Washington, Spokesman-Review. This is the second excessive force allegation against Pullman’s police department in the last several months. In August, a plaintiff alleged officers inappropriately deployed a taser, choked him, and broke several bones during an arrest.

Footage obtained in a public records request from the City of Pullman shows the incident from several different angles. In surveillance footage from Bob’s Corner Market in Pullman, police can be seen throwing Broughton to the ground as he attempts to produce an ID requested by the officers. At 1:50 in the store’s surveillance video, an officer can be seen kneeing Broughton in the back. When Broughton does not put his hands behind his back, the officer tases Broughton in the back.

In body camera footage of the initial arrest, officers can be heard yelling at Broughton to “get on the ground,” telling him he is under arrest for using a counterfeit bill. Broughton repeatedly asks why he is being detained and attempts to show his ID until he gets tased and the ID falls from his hand.

A second officer’s body camera footage shows the aftermath of the initial incident. When the second officer arrives on scene, Broughton is hustled handcuffed into the hallway of the building. The video shows Broughton being slammed against a wall and thrown to the ground a second time.

Police responded to Adam’s Mall in Pullman after receiving a call alleging that a customer was attempting to make a purchase using a plainly fake bill. However, the store called the police again a few minutes later, saying the issue had been handled, according to local media.

Broughton’s suit, filed in the US District Court for Eastern Washington, seeks damages for unlawful arrest and the use of excessive force. Pullman Police released a statement saying they take allegations of officer misconduct seriously, but “cannot comment further on matters that are in litigation.” Credit: City of Pullman via Storyful