Ted Warren / AP
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett talks to reporters Jan. 10, 2017, in Renton, Wash.
Published Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017 | 7:53 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017 | 7:43 p.m.
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett is considering filing a civil rights lawsuit against Metro Police, alleging he was the victim of excessive force following last month’s Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight.
Bennett, who was in town for the big fight Aug. 26, posted on Twitter that he was handcuffed and threatened by officers after running away with others from what sounded like gunshots near the Cromwell about 1 a.m. Aug. 27.
“A police officer ordered me to get on the ground,” Bennett posted. “As I laid on the ground, complying with his commands not to move, he placed his gun near my head and warned me that if I moved he would ‘blow my (expletive) head off.’ Terrified and confused by what was taking place, a second officer came over and forcefully jammed his knee into my back making it difficult for me to breathe. They then cinched the handcuffs on my wrists sot tight that my fingers went numb.”
Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said police were responding to an active-shooter call when Bennett, who was crouching near a gaming machine, took off running. An officer chased Bennett outside and over a wall, where Bennett was taken into custody, he said.
He was detained for about 10 minutes before he was released, McMahill said. A supervisor that night explained the incident to Bennett, who said something along the lines of understanding and that he "had no problem with what the officers did," just with the one who had pointed a gun on his head, McMahill said.
Bennett didn't fill out a statement that morning and as of this afternoon neither he nor a legal representative had contacted Metro, something investigators want him to do, McMahill said, noting that the agency learned about the abuse allegations through the media Wednedsay morning.
McMahill said the incident should be clear when investigators comb through the footage, and if any policy violations are found, the officers would be held accountable.
As of today, the duty status of the officers involved — who were identified as Hispanic males — remained unchanged, McMahill said. Further information should be expected as the investigation continues.
A video played at a news briefing today showed officers searching the casino as patrons fled and others lay on the floor.
McMahill, who noted that people were screaming and running for cover, said police were investigating what prompted officers to focus on Bennett as opposed to other patrons scrambling out of the casino.
McMahill said police had at least 126 videos to review but noted that the officer who detained Bennett did not activate his camera.
Bennett said he was returning to his hotel room following the fight when he heard what sounded like gunshots. It was later determined no shots were fired and the sound came from large statues that were knocked over during a fight at Drai’s nightclub, according to police. Drai’s and parts of the Cromwell were evacuated, police said.
“Like many of the people in the area I ran away from the sound, looking for safety. Las Vegas police officers singled me out and pointed their guns at me for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Bennett posted.
A cellphone video acquired by TMZ shows Bennett being handcuffed by an officer while facedown on the sidewalk along the Strip, near East Flamingo Road. Bennett screamed, “I wasn’t doing nothing man. I was here with my friends. They told us to get out; everybody ran.”
McMahill rejected that the episode was racially motivated. “I see no evidence that race played any role in this incident,” he said.
Bennett said he has hired Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris to investigate, explore his legal options and possibly file a civil rights lawsuit.
Burris, who has requested body camera footage of the incident from Metro, released a statement saying that Bennett, who was “terrified and frightened,” repeatedly asked the officers why they were arresting him and reminded them of his rights.
“The officers ignored Mr. Bennett’s pleas and instead placed him into handcuffs,” the statement said. “Adding insult to injury, the officers placed Mr. Bennett to a nearby patrol car where they continued to physically manhandle and mistreat him while forcing him into the cramped backseat where he remained handcuffed and stuffed in the patrol car’s backseat for what felt like an eternity.”
Bennett and Burris said it was only after the officers realized Bennett was an NFL player that they finally released him.
“It is important to note, Mr. Bennett was unarmed, sober and not involved in any altercations or dispute at the time the police officers arrested and threatened to use deadly force against him,” Burris said.
Bennett, who has been outspoken regarding the violence in Charlottesville, Va., and kneeled during the National Anthem before games, said “the system failed me” and the officers treated him as if he “was guilty until proven innocent.”
Burris said Bennett waited to make public his account of the incident until after Burris contacted Las Vegas police last week by letter and email, seeking police records of Bennett's detention.
Bennett's brother, Martellus Bennett, who plays for the Green Bay Packers, posted an Instagram account of a telephone call he said he got from Michael Bennett. He said he heard fear in his brother's voice.
"The emotion and the thought of almost losing you because of the way you look left me in one of the saddest places ever," Martellus Bennett said.
Michael Bennett has been one of the most outspoken pro athletes on numerous social issues. Last month, he held a benefit for the family of a pregnant black woman who was fatally shot by two white Seattle police officers in June. Police said the woman threatened the officers with at least one knife after calling 911 to report that someone had broken into her apartment and stolen video-game consoles.
"For me it's always finding a way to impact the community on every single level — locally, nationally, and globally," Bennett said following the benefit. "To be able to have something happen in your city and to be able to build a bridge between people regardless of color, regardless of gender, and regardless of economic hardships, you want to be able to bring people together and be able to do something for kids."
Advocates on Wednesday cited Bennett's treatment by police as an illustration of troubled race relations in America.
Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter advocacy group, called it "a testament to the police violence targeting black people in the United States."
Cullors endorsed an online petition calling for Las Vegas police to release information about what she called an assault on Bennett.
Jocelyn Benson, chief executive of the nonprofit Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, released a statement crediting Bennett with "courage and leadership in addressing issues of racial injustice in our country."
"The revelation of Michael Bennett's terrifying experience with Las Vegas police officers last month underscores the need to continue fighting against racial profiling and inequality," Benson said.
Metro is asking anyone with additional video of the incident to call the agency's Internal Affairs Bureau at 702-828-3422.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
