WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — New videos released by Westerville police show a suspect’s struggle with an officer before being tased and punched in the head repeatedly over the theft of $679.59 worth of Pokemon cards.
Westerville Chief of Police Charles Chandler shared bodycam footage as well as a video from the rooftop security camera at a Meijer, located at 100 Polaris Parkway, where officers arrested 35-year-old theft suspect Ernest Fields. A store manager called police Sunday night and accused him of stealing Pokemon cards.
The chief also confirmed that the Westerville Division of Police Professional Standards Bureau was investigating the involved officers’ use of force during Fields’ arrest.
“Investigators believe he may have resisted arrest due to an outstanding felony warrant for arson in Franklin County,” Chandler wrote. “From the perspective of the officer’s (body-worn camera), you can see the officer is alone when the suspect begins to resist, becomes combative and attempts to flee the scene.”
Chandler also said his division would not name the officer who repeatedly punched Fields, citing Marsy’s Law.
After Fields left the store with the Pokemon cards, police reports said he got in a red Chevrolet Impala in the Meijer parking lot. Both the rooftop camera and the bodycam — timestamped for 9:31 p.m. — then show the unnamed officer parking his cruiser next to a red Impala that Fields got in. The officer pointed a weapon at Fields as he opened the door and ordered him to get out. Fields acted confused, and the officer responded by pulling him out and trying to pin him against a shopping cart rack.
The officer told Fields to “stop fighting” him and pinned the suspect against the Impala. Fields can be heard in the bodycam audio telling the officer he was trying to pull his pants up before putting his hands behind his back. The officer then tells dispatchers over his radio that Fields was complying.
As the officer started to place Fields in handcuffs, the store camera showed Fields started to try to escape. The officer held onto the suspect as he continued trying to run away. As the pair moved closer to the shopping cart rack, they began wrestling before the officer pulled Fields to the ground.
Both the suspect and officer got up and the latter pulled out his taser. The bodycam footage showed Fields briefly put his hands up and said “Okay, okay,” before the officer tased him. The suspect yelled in pain, fell to the ground and rolled. From there, he got up again and tried to run away before the officer caught him again.
With Fields on the ground, the rooftop camera showed the officer crouching over and repeatedly punching the suspect. When Fields tried to get up again, the officer pulled him to the ground and locked his legs around the suspect’s body. The store camera panned away, and when it returned, the officer was on top of Fields and repeatedly punching him in the head.
It’s in these moments timestamped at 9:34 p.m. that the bodycam and rooftop cameras line up with previous video obtained by NBC4. Captured by an off-duty employee of Nexstar Media Group, Inc., the parent company of NBC4 — the prior video showed the officer repeatedly punching Fields in the head while Fields tried to cover himself with his hands.
WARNING: The following video contains footage that some may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
The videos then showed multiple officers arriving to assist in restraining Fields. The suspect could be heard repeatedly saying that he was “sorry.” As the group asked him to roll over on his stomach, one officer got up and retrieved the taser from the ground. The officer was heard tasing Fields again, and the suspect could be heard yelling in pain.
After placing him in handcuffs and taking him to Delaware County Jail, Fields was charged with felony assault after his Sunday arrest, according to Delaware County Common Pleas Court records. He was not facing any theft charges as of Tuesday afternoon. Franklin County Common Pleas Court showed Fields had pleaded guilty to the May 2021 arson Chandler referenced, but did not show up for his sentencing date. The last activity in the case record showed the court had issued a warrant for his arrest in November.
Chandler’s full statement, posted to the city’s website alongside the surveillance and body camera videos, is below:
“The body-worn camera (BWC) shows a physical struggle initiated by Mr. Ernest Fields when resisting arrest.
I take very seriously any use of force conducted by this agency and its officers. In law enforcement, these incidents often appear shocking and cause public concern.
We are aware of the video distributed by NBC4 that shows one perspective of the arrest. Based on this video alone, the public’s concern is understandable. That film will be reviewed by the WPD Professional Standards bureau as a piece of evidence in the overall investigation.
We have an investigation to conduct, but here’s what I can tell you at this point.
Officers are prepared to potentially place themselves in harm’s way with little information or facts, requiring them to take action in situations that are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving.
Mr. Fields was initially reported as a suspect of theft from Meijer. Investigators believe he may have resisted arrest due to an outstanding felony warrant for arson in Franklin County.
From the perspective of the officer’s BWC, you can see the officer is alone when the suspect begins to resist, becomes combative and attempts to flee the scene. Within minutes, additional WPD officers responded and the suspect was eventually controlled.
Both the suspect and the officer received minor injuries from the struggle. Both were treated and released at local medical facilities.
Because the officer is included as a victim, the officer’s identity is protected by Marsy’s Law.
The actions in this case will be thoroughly investigated to ensure compliance with the policies, training and expectations that WPD has for every one of our officers.
I want to emphasize our mission is to protect our community’s safety and uphold the highest standards of performance. As Chief, it is my responsibility to ensure we meet these high standards in everything we do, in service to both the men and women of this agency and the trust of the City of Westerville.“