A Grove City Police officer received a WWE-style body slam during an altercation with an NCAA football player recently in Ohio. Michael Harris, a former Auburn Tiger and four star recruit, who now plays at Eastern Kentucky University, is listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds. During the struggle, he lifted the officer completely above his head before slamming him powerfully to the ground.
Michael Harris Slams Grove City Police Officer
“One of the officers who was there is a very strong man, and he said, ‘I cannot believe the strength this man had,'” said Lt. Eric Scott, Grove City Police, reported ESPN.
The incident began when police responded to a call at a local business. The caller told of man “being aggressive, and that he did not seem to be ‘all there,'” reported espn.com.
Harris then ignored police commands, attempting to get into his vehicle’s driver’s compartment, according to ESPN.
“He’s going through what we would call his progression of force, and they exercised extreme patience, but recognize when he goes for the car, that’s a deal-breaker,” Scott said, according to espn.com. “We can’t have that. The concern is that this person is either in a mental health crisis or under the influence of a drug. Because of his behavior, it was clear that that would be unsafe.”
Footage shows as officers attempted to control the suspect, Harris continued to become more unstable. Then the encounter began to get physical.
“The officer does kind of push him back ever so slightly, saying ‘Stay back, man, stay back,'” Scott said. “At that point he’s saying, ‘Just take me to jail, just take me to jail,’ and the officer is trying to use his authority at that point to try to gain compliance.”
As the incident continued to escalate, against an extremely large suspect, one officer finally deployed pepper spray, ESPN reported. But Harris continued to resist. Ultimately, he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his face and fought back. That’s when he grabbed an officer over his head and slammed him to the ground.
Police charged Harris with obstructing official business, assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, according to ESPN.
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