Bodycam video shows officers arrest man under the influence of meth - Fresno Police defends use of force

555 Bodycam video starts @ 2:22 Fresno police Chief Jerry Dyer on Thursday addressed a video that appears to show officers using excessive force to detain a man who was allegedly high on methamphetamine. The video, taken by a witness,(second video below) was posted to Facebook on Wednesday evening. It shows an officer and two sergeants struggling on the ground with Roger Ismael, 38. One of the sergeants begins striking Ismael in the side to subdue him. Dyer released body-camera footage (top video) showing what led up to the encounter. He said the sergeants and officer who responded to the call are veterans of the force who used the tools available to them to detain a man they believed had a knife. Around 7:22 p.m. Wednesday police received two 911 calls about a man with a knife threatening roommates at the men's sober living center at 1398 E. Bulldog Lane. One of the callers, who referred to Ismael as his client, said he was on his way to the center after hearing that the man was on meth and threatening the other occupants. Police stopped Ismael while he was walking away from the center and attempted to detain him. At the time, they still believed Ismael had a knife, Dyer said. Police later discovered two knives back at the living center, but Ismael did not have the knife on him. Body-cam footage shows police grabbing Ismael's hands to put handcuffs on. Officers place one handcuff on him, but Ismael pulls away, and is Tased several times, the video shows. Dyer described Ismael as having "extreme strength," possibly due to his drug use.

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