MESA, Ariz. — A video of Mesa police officers handcuffing a man has gone viral after he said he called the police for help.
Darnay Cockrell, 52, told 12News he called Mesa police on Aug. 6 after his the mother of his 4-year-old daughter allegedly took the girl from the apartment where he lives in Mesa.
"My baby momma had came over the night before and hadn't seen her while, and she's an addict, and I've been taking care of the baby for a while," Cockrell said.
Cockrell said he told the woman to leave the apartment the next day but said she refused, so he called the police.
Cockrell continued, saying he went into another room to talk with the police, but when he came back to the living room, the woman and his daughter were gone.
"Dispatch [was] on the phone and I'm like, 'She kidnapped my kid,'" Cockrell said.
Cockrell said he was told by dispatch to go see where the woman and child had gone, so he ran downstairs and was met by an officer.
"I tried to slide past him, and I was hollering, 'She took my kid' and I'm trying to see which way she went," Darnay said. "[The officer] was like, 'Stop, sit on the curb, shut up. I'm like, 'Whoa. I'm a grown man. I'm not sitting on the curb and I'm trying to figure out where my baby's at."
Cockrell said he refused to sit and instead stood by his car to call his boss to tell him he would be late for work.
During that time, Cockrell said a second officer showed up and both officers "grabbed [his] arm," put him on the ground and handcuffed him.
"They tried to force me down, but the way it [was] looking, if I fall, I'm gonna hit my face so I just bent forward and put my knees down," Cockrell said. [Then] he jumped on my back and handcuffed me."
Cockrell said this experience left negatively impacted.
"I would never call the police again for no help," Cockrell said. "Never call them again, because you call them and you are the victim."
Mesa police allowed 12News to view the body cam footage from the Aug. 6 incident on Aug. 19, but the department did not release the video because it was not redacted.
In an emailed statement, the Mesa Police Department said in part:
“The man appeared upset as his daughter was just taken and displayed a high level of emotion, which is understandable; however, because emotions were so high, he was not obeying the officer’s commands and made comments that spiked concern for officer safety. The officer and his back up officer decided to detain the man by placing him in handcuffs as the investigation continued.”
Mesa police added in their statement that Cockrell had filed an internal affairs complaint and that it was directed to the district commander to investigate.
After the investigation, the complaint was cleared and deemed "unfounded."
The department went on to say:
"The officer’s actions were not in violation of department policy; however, upon reviewing the body worn camera video it was determined that supplemental training would be beneficial for both officers as there is always room for improvement."
Mesa police said Cockrell's child was returned to him and the child's mother was arrested and booked for disorderly conduct under the domestic violence law.
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