It may be weeks before the Davis Police Department draws any conclusions regarding a Picnic Day brawl on Russell Boulevard that injured two officers and raised conflicting allegations of whether police or partiers triggered the fight.
“We’re looking at it from every angle,” Police Chief Darren Pytel told 15 members of the department’s Community Advisory Board — a panel that advises the chief on constituent concerns — at its monthly meeting Wednesday, where he first released video showing the April 22 melee as it erupts.
The video, both in real time and slow motion, is posted on the Police Department’s website: http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/police-department. (Click on the “public information — Picnic Day 2017” tab.)
Recorded by a private citizen’s dashboard camera, the video shows multiple bystanders capturing the incident on their cell phones — footage the department hopes to obtain to add context to both the criminal and newly launched internal investigations.
Anyone with video, or witness statements regarding the altercation, is urged to call the Davis Police Department at 530-747-5400.
Pytel also informed the board of the internal affairs investigation he ordered into the incident after three arrested suspects and other witnesses accused the police of excessive force and racial bias as well as starting the fight.
An outside investigator, former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness, has been retained by the city attorney’s office to determine whether any misconduct occurred and, if so, whether any policy changes or training needs are warranted.
“At the end of the day I’ll sit down and look at all the reports,” Pytel told the CAB members. “My job is, if there are changes we need, to make those changes moving forward.”
The selection of a former sheriff to conduct the probe was questioned by a couple of people at the meeting, who raised doubts as to whether he would maintain an objective view of the officers’ actions.
Pytel responded that the investigation requires someone experienced in asking the right questions and eliciting information, and who is familiar with law-enforcement tactics and policies, particularly those involving use of force.
With someone less experienced, “you may get the facts, but the crucial point is, what does that mean?” Pytel said.
While the city has its own police auditor, Bob Aaronson, Pytel said he was not an appropriate choice to conduct the internal review because his role is to audit completed investigations — not perform them — to ensure that they were handled properly and reached reasonable conclusions.
“If Bob does the investigation, who is going to audit his work?” Pytel said.
Investigation continues
Police arrested Alexander Craver, 22 of West Sacramento; Antwoine Perry, 21, of Elk Grove; and Elijah Williams, 19, of West Sacramento; on suspicion of assault and battery following the fight, and the ongoing criminal investigation will determine whether more people are charged, according to Pytel.
While authorities typically avoid releasing video that’s part of an active investigation, Pytel said the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, the city attorney’s office and McGinness approved of it in this case in light of the conflicting witness accounts and pursuit of additional evidence.
“This happened very quickly,” Pytel said. “You have to watch it many times, because there’s so much happening.”
Pytel declined to reveal his interpretations of what the video shows, in light of the pending investigations.
The footage shows the vehicle’s driver heading westbound on Russell Boulevard at College Park, where a group of several dozen people has gathered on the northwest corner of the intersection. Some spill into the street, partially blocking a portion of Russell’s right lane, and cars merge left to go around them.
The unmarked police van, in the eastbound turn lane, makes a U-turn and comes to a stop in front of the crowd.
Filmed from across the intersection, the video captures no audio from outside the vehicle, so Pytel says he cannot confirm whether the plain-clothed officers, who say their badges and service weapons were displayed, immediately identified themselves as police. Multiple witnesses claim they did not.
Witnesses also have said one of the van’s occupants shouted at the crowd to “get the f— out of the road,” prompting some in the group to curse back. That initial contact, as well as the decision to deploy plain-clothed officers, will be examined as part of the internal investigation, Pytel said.
Several people approach the stopped van, including Perry, wearing a red shirt and backpack. The officers have alleged that he lifted his shirt to simulate having a gun in his waistband; he had ammunition at the time of his arrest but no weapon was found.
From behind Perry, a woman rushes toward the van as the officer in the front passenger seat, identified by Pytel as Sgt. Steve Ramos (wearing light-colored shorts and a dark T-shirt), emerges from the vehicle. Police say it was crowd members who assaulted Ramos first, while witnesses say Ramos emerged swinging.
A fight involving Ramos and several others immediately breaks out, during which a woman strikes Ramos on the head with her fist. Ramos turns and takes her to the ground. Craver, wearing a dark red shirt and shorts, pulls him away, and the two men fall to the street.
Meanwhile, two more officers have emerged from the van — Detective Ryan Bellamy (wearing a blue work shirt and cap) from the driver’s seat, and his brother, Detective Sean Bellamy (in a protective police vest) from the right passenger side. Sean Bellamy and Perry scuffle to the right of the screen.
Ryan Bellamy first engages with the man in a football-style jersey, who breaks free and runs. Bellamy then turns back toward Ramos, who is still struggling with Craver, and becomes involved in a fight on the ground with Williams, dressed in cutoff jeans and a tank top.
As Ramos and Craver are still on the ground, the woman Ramos took down rises from the street and appears to kick Ramos several times in the head until another woman restrains her.
Ryan Bellamy suffered an open gash to his head, reportedly from a bottle strike that was not captured on the video. Ramos sustained a black eye and abrasions to his face. Both were treated at a hospital but have since returned to work.
Frame by frame
Sacramento defense attorney Mark Reichel, who represents Williams, said he watched the video “frame by frame” Wednesday and proclaimed it favorable toward his client.
In his view, the footage shows Williams coming to the aid of the woman Ramos took to the ground.
“Absolutely, 100 percent. He did what we would want everyone to do in that situation,” Reichel said. “Elijah’s just trying to get the cop off the girl. Good luck convicting him.”
The defense attorney acknowledged that the crowd had spilled into the street but took issue with the officers’ decision to pull so close to them with their van, which several people in the crowd believed was about to hit them.
“They never thought they were police. It was a crazy van that turned into them,” Reichel said. “If they’re saying that’s proper police behavior, God help us all.”
Davis Mayor Robb Davis, meanwhile, says he’s reserving judgment until the investigations are complete.
“It’s really hard to get sense of what happened, what was action and what was reaction,” Davis said of the video. Once the conclusions are in, however, he hopes to have a larger conversation about future Picnic Day enforcement efforts.
“I place it in the broader context of asking, what do we need to do to create a fun, safe, celebratory day?” Davis said. “How do we effectively deal with the problem of overconsumption of alcohol and large parties?”
He also said he supports the decision to hire an outside investigator to bring a fresh perspective on how the city does its business.
“What I’m going to be looking for is, what are some takeaways that we can gain from this?” Davis said. “I think it’s valuable, and I look forward to the learning opportunity.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
