DETROIT (WXYZ) — An elected official from the Pittsburgh area says she is looking into suing Detroit Police. She claims police assaulted her and arrested her.
Chelsea Wagner, the Allegheny County Controller, and her husband Khari Mosley came to Detroit for what they called it a late Valentine’s Day present. They saw a NAS concert featuring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. They stayed at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel.
ABC News has obtained the following video recored by Wagner:
Her attorney says she went to bed while her husband stayed up. When he realized he didn’t have a room key the hotel staff couldn’t help him because the room was in his wife’s name.
Detroit Police say he was drunk and belligerent so they responded, which agitated him.
“He made some comments, ‘Hands up. Don’t shoot.’ He referenced his education in comparison to the security guards at the hotel,” said James Craig, Detroit Police Chief. “He used some profanity towards the officers during the encounter.”
Police Chief James Craig says body cameras show officers escort him up to his room. Police say his wife wasn’t happy.
“During the initial contact with the female companion there were several times where I could see in the video she was placing her hands on the officer, not in a very aggressive way, but she was certainly pushing and touching,” said Craig.
Police say they left, but then hotel staff asked for help kicking Mosley out for too much noise.
Police put cuffs on him and his wife reacted.
Wagner’s attorney Heather Heidelbaugh says, “They refused to tell her where her husband was, what was going on. They just kept saying we are removing him from the property.”
“So they get to the elevator and the wife blocks the door,” said Craig. “And they ask her to move away from the door of the open elevator.”
“She was shoved to the floor,” said Heidelbaugh.
“The officer takes the wife to the ground,” said Craig. “You could hear in the video, he says be careful. It almost seems as if he was trying to break her fall. He did handcuff her and she was arrested for assault and battery.”
“She in no way, no shape touched the police officer. The police officer grabbed her, threw her out of the elevator, threw her on to the floor,” said Heidelbaugh
“She did mention she was the highest ranking member of that county,” said Craig.
Craig says he is not at this time releasing video of the altercation, due to the ongoing investigation.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is still deciding whether there will be charges.
