East Lansing reverses itself, shares police footage  

THURSDAY, March 5 — All video footage from a controversial arrest in East Lansing last month has been released online following public outcry and multiple requests from local media outlets, including City Pulse. 

The East Lansing Police Department late last month responded to claims of excessive force after officers arrested 19-year-old Uwimana Gasito, gashing open his forehead in photos that circulated online in the days that followed. The final verdict: Gasito was resisting arrest and the amount of force used was totally justified. 

Those findings arrived last week at a special City Council meeting, where despite objections from the public, most of its members appeared to be in total agreement with the Police Department. Heavily edited versions of the arrest videos were also shown at the meeting. Some additional clips were also released online last month. 

City Pulse — among others like East Lansing Info — filed requests under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act but were quickly met with resistance. Sgt. Adrian Ojerio, police FOIA coordinator, initially billed City Pulse nearly $570 to fulfill the request and declined to waive the charges as requested and allowable under law. 

“I will need to re-watch the entire video and redact along with processing the report,” Ojerio explained. 

But yesterday, Mayor Ruth Beier — who carries final say on all FOIA matters — told City Pulse that the request was no longer necessary and that all videos would be immediately released to the public at no cost. Those have since been made available at cityofeastlansing.com/2079/Internal-Investigation. A reporter is reviewing them. 

“There was just a misunderstanding with the people fulfilling that request,” Beier added. 

Last month, Gasito claimed in a widely shared Facebook post that officers had used excessive force against him during an incident involving a fight between his friend, Anthony Zarwea and Chandler Lee, who claims to have seen Gasito slap his female friend from behind. A grisly photo of his abraded forehead accompanied the post. 

Gasito was attempting to film Zarwea’s arrest when officers first confronted him. A video shows Gasito cussing at an officer at the scene. Officials said Gasito was too close to an officer and acting aggressively. Police Capt. Chad Connelly contended Gasito resisted arrest, prompting officers to take him down. No apologies were made. 

“It is unsafe for an officer to be effecting an arrest on someone with someone right behind an officer,” Connelly said. He also told the City Council that the officers only intervened in this incident because they believed that there was a pattern of people becoming injured or killed during drunken encounters in downtown East Lansing. 

Connelly also zoomed in on an image of Gasito’s hand balled into a fist, claiming it made officers feel unsafe. He also blamed the asphalt for Gasito’s injuries — not the hand of the officer who was pushing his face into the ground. Beier has since pointed to the creation of a citizens’ public safety oversight board to help monitor police. 

Visit lansingcitypulse.com for previous and continued coverage on the incident as the videos continue to be reviewed.