St. Paul Police Release Skyway Arrest Video
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- When Chris Lollie posted a cellphone video revealing his police encounter on Jan. 31, it left many with a sense of outrage.
But the video doesn't show everything that happened leading up to his arrest.
On Wednesday, St. Paul Police released two DVDs of silent security camera video from the First National Bank Building.
At 9:34 a.m., it shows Lollie taking a seat in what guards say was a private waiting area.
At 9:40, a guard approaches Lollie for the first time. Three minutes later, the same guard talks to Lollie a second time. A woman seated next to him stands up and walks away.
Lollie said he was waiting to pick up his kids from the New Horizon Daycare, located two buildings away on the corner of 7th and Robert Street.
At 9:50 a.m., sixteen minutes after he arrived, Lollie gets up and is met by Officer Lori Hayne in the skyway bridge.
On Lollie's cellphone recording, you can hear Officer Hayne demand information from him.
"Let me know who you are and you can be on your way," said Officer Hayne.
At that point, Lollie asks Hayne why he has to give his name, and states that he has done nothing wrong.
What the security camera recording shows is Lollie and Hayne walking across the 5th Street Skyway into the 401 Securian Building. That is where Lollie and Hayne are met by Officer Mike Johnson.
WATCH: Surveillance video of incident (audio from Lollie's cell phone video added)
At 9:53 a.m., Johnson asks Lollie to step aside and place his hands behind his back.
"Put your hands behind your back otherwise it's going to get ugly," said Officer Johnson in the cellphone video.
Lollie then questions the officers.
"What do you need from me?" he said.
Officer Hayne states that she has already told him what she wants.
After continually resisting the officer's demands, Lollie is seen on the security camera video with three officers around him.
At that point, Officer Bruce Schmidt pulls out a Taser, jabbing it into Lollie's thigh.
The 28-year-old buckles and is lowered to the floor and cuffed.
There was also a fourth officer who was in plain clothes. He walks up to the confrontation, but acts mostly as an observer.
Charges of trespassing, disobeying an officer and disorderly conduct were filed, but dropped in July.
Lollie has filed a complaint against the officers, which is now in the hands of the department's internal affairs unit. He says he was targeted because of his race.
His cellphone video has been viewed more than one million times on YouTube.
Internal affairs will investigate the arrest and determine if it was handled properly or with excessive force.
It's also likely the findings will be sent on to the civilian review panel, and eventually Chief Smith.
Police officials said it is not uncommon for police to respond to calls of possible trespassing downtown.
