Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett says he was left “terrified” and felt “helpless” after being attacked by Las Vegas police officers as he was walking back to his hotel following the Mayweather-McGregor fight.
In a Twitter post that quickly went viral, Bennett accused Las Vegas police of pulling weapons on him and using excessive force in what he claims is a case of mistaken identity. The post — an open letter — was captioned, “Equality.”
Equality. pic.twitter.com/NQ4pJt94AZ
— Michael Bennett (@mosesbread72) September 6, 2017
Bennett claims in his letter that he was walking back to his hotel from the fight with a group of friends when he heard what he thought were gunshots. He says he and his group ran in the direction opposite the noise, trying to get to safety, when they were confronted by Las Vegas police officers who pointed their weapons at the group and ordered Bennett and his friends to the ground.
The officer then threatened Bennett, reportedly telling the football player that, if he moved, he’d “blow my f***ing head off.” Bennett says a second officer “forcefully jammed his knee” into Bennett’s back making it difficult for Bennett to breathe, and was so aggressive that Bennett was left “terrified and confused.”
“The Officers’ excessive use of force was unbearable,” Bennett wrote. “I felt helpless as I lay there on the ground handcuffed facing the real-life threat of being killed.”
Bennett was led to the back of a squad car where he was detained until he says officers realized who he was. He claims he repeatedly asserted his Constitutional rights (though it’s not clear what rights he thought he had in the situation), but was told to “shut up” until officers verified his identity and released him. Bennett maintains that he was unarmed and sober.
TMZ obtained some footage of the incident.
“The system failed me. I can only imagine what Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Charleena Lyles felt,” Barrett wrote. “This fact is unequivocally, without question why before every game I sit during the national anthem … because equality doesn’t live in this country and no matter how much money you make, what job title you have, or how much you give, when you are seen as a ‘n*****,’ you will be treated that way.”
Bennett has already lawyered up, retaining California civil rights lawyer John Burris to investigate the incident and, possibly file a civil rights claim agains the Las Vegas police department. Burris says he’s considering charges of unlawful detention and use of excessive force. Burris and Bennett say he went public with his story today because the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has, so far, refused to turn over records of Bennett’s detainment.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department does not dispute that there was an incident that night, but a spokesperson for the LVMPD, Undersheriff Kevin McMahill, told a press conference late Wednesday that officers were responding to an “active shooter situation” inside a Las Vegas casino and ordered everyone in the area down to the ground. They claim that officers saw Bennett crouch behind a slot machine and then take off running, at which point officers gave chase.
Because of Bennett’s actions, McMahill said, officers on the scene believed he was involved in the shooting, and not because of his skin color. “I see no evidence that race played any role in this incident,” he said. McMahill also said that Bennett had no issue with his detainment, but did bring up how he was treated to his arresting officers. He went on to say that an investigation is ongoing.
The NFL also released a statement late Wednesday, calling Bennett “a leader on his team and in his community.” The league said it “will support Michael and all NFL players in promoting mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they loyally serve and fair and equal treatment under the law.”