The 24-year-old man was accused of stealing a pizza, his uncle said. Video from the incident, which happened a store in Kansas City, Kansas, was posted to TikTok.
Two Kansas City, Kansas, police officers have been disciplined and a charge has been dropped against a man held down at a Walmart last week, in an incident captured on video.
A man said his 24-year-old nephew was taken to the ground and held down by officers after being accused of stealing a pizza Thursday, and video of him being pinned down by police was posted on TikTok.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, or KCKPD, said its review found officers made mistakes — including one who “employed techniques that are not approved, nor trained, by the Department.”
The police statement did not elaborate on the technique. Video showed one officer appearing to kneel on the man’s neck.
The man who was apprehended was walking to the exit with his purchase, which was not in a bag. The man did not show his receipt to an off-duty officer at the store who asked for it and “became belligerent,” the department said.
“It is our determination that the officer should have disengaged at that time due to the circumstances,” the police department said in a statement Monday.
The off-duty officer and another officer have been disciplined and will undergo further training, police said.
The video, recorded by the man’s uncle, shows the interaction after the man is already on the ground and is being held down by an officer.
It shows the man being held down telling officers he has the receipt and to read it.
People standing around can be heard in the video telling officers that the man had a receipt and that he had been next to them in line paying.
The man’s uncle has said his nephew is innocent, and that police didn’t have just cause for their actions.
A charge of hindering an investigation was dismissed at the police department’s request, it said.
“Moving forward, we will work with all our retail partners to ensure that there is a clear, mutual understanding of our officers role while working in any off-duty capacity,” police said Monday.
The police department has said it began investigating the incident before the video was posted online.