GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Viral videos allegedly showing what appears to be University of North Carolina Greensboro police pulling a man from his car and forcing a student to the ground are gaining the attention of a state senator and the university’s NAACP chapter, calling for an investigation into what unfolded.
It happened in UNCG’s Spartan Village around the Lexington Residence Hall on Oct. 6.
According to UNCG’s police department public incident report, it started with a traffic stop. It’s left many with questions surrounding the officers’ actions.
“They could have just been like, ‘Hey, you can’t park here. This is a turning lane … People are coming through,’” said Destiny Martin, a UNCG Student.
Public incident reports identify 22-year-old UNCG student Alisia Rea and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Quinten Thomas, as the two people involved in the encounter with campus police.
Several viral videos circulating online capture parts of the ordeal. One shows what appears to be officers pulling Thomas from his car.
He was arrested.
Another video shows three officers and their exchange with Rea.
In that video, Rea is asking for badge numbers before being told, “We don’t have one.” The university confirmed that instead of badge numbers, campus police wear name tags.
In that video, soon after she is seen trying to walk away, but officers intervene, and she appears to be forced to the ground by campus police. You can hear Rea screaming in the video.
A statement from the UNCG chapter of NAACP says in part:
Thomas’s car was parked on Glenwood Ave. a street that UNCG Police had previously said he was allowed to be parked at for a 15 minute duration. After dropping Rea off at her dorm and walking her into her building, Thomas returned to find 2 UNCG Police officers standing at his car.
The statement also reads, “The UNCG NAACP is working with the victims of this harrowing incident to ensure all the correct steps are being taken.”
Several students on campus said they have seen the videos online.
Many are disappointed by what they saw.
“It’s also surreal seeing it on your own campus because it’s like you see it on the news, so you kind of detach from it, but you don’t expect to see it in someplace where … you’ve been … personally,” said Nyx Hammond, a UNCG Student.
“Not over here. Definitely not over here … I already kind of have my own opinions about UNCG police because I feel like they fail a lot of students, but I didn’t expect something like that to just happen right there and then,” said Destiny Martin, a UNCG Student.
Thomas was charged with driving with a revoked license and resisting, obstructing, delaying a police officer and stopping on a highway.
Rea was charged with assault on a public official and given a trespass warrant.
State Senator Michael Garrett came to the couple’s defense with a long social media post. It said he saw the video and is filled with “dismay and outrage.”
He is also “calling for an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation by the UNC System leadership into the actions of these officers.”
The university provided FOX8 with a statement that says in part that they are aware of this incident and “We understand that this situation is deeply concerning and may be difficult for many people in our community, including those directly involved.”
The statement goes on to say, “UNCG police acted in accordance with their responsibility to maintain a safe campus environment.”
UNCG’s Division of Student Affairs is in communication with the student involved in the incident.
A statement from UNCG said, “As is our standard practice with any arrest, the University is reviewing the incident, including available reports and video, to ensure clarity and transparency and to assess any violations of policies, procedures, or state law.”
Garrett and the UNCG NAACP are still calling for more. At this time, Rea told FOX8 that she and her boyfriend have no comment.
Celeste Smith
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