Police arrested six people at a night club in Troy, N.Y., on Saturday after the suspects assaulted the officers — but a man who was beaten by officers says he has video footage of the incident that contradicts the police account.
The violent incident unfolded at a bar called Kokopellis. According to the police department, a bar staff member called the cops, claiming he had been assaulted by a customer. Multiple officers arrived on scene, and six people were eventually arrested.
The police department claims its officers were attacked by several bar patrons and eight officers were injured, according to CBS 6.
But Barry Glick, the bar’s owner, told CBS 6 a very different story — and says he has the video evidence to prove it.
According to Glick, his employee called the police to let them know that Glick was closing the bar for the night on suspicion that some customers were using marijuana. The police then arrived in full force. The patrons did not assault the officers; on the contrary, the officers were the ones who became violent, according to Glick.
Glick said the footage from his surveillance cameras proves that the police, not his customers, caused the trouble.
A cell phone video shows officers hitting a customer with a baton, knocking him to the ground and holding him down and then hitting him again.
A spokesperson for the police department said the footage only showed police using “necessary force,” in a perilous situation.
The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It isn’t yet clear whether the incident will be investigated.