NORFOLK, Va. – News 3's I-Team is asking questions after a video surfaced of a recent arrest on Granby Street in Norfolk, showing officers taking a suspect to the ground while the suspect screams.
The video, which does not show the entire exchange between the suspect and Norfolk Police officers, was taken by a person passing by on a bike. The person who took the video does not want to be identified.
In the video, Norfolk Police Officers are seen arresting 22-year-old Ramel D. London.
Court records show London has been charged with two counts of assault and battery on law enforcement, operating an ATV on a highway and driving an uninsured vehicle.
In the video, you can hear officers telling London to put his hands behind his back and stop resisting.
An officer appears to punch the suspect, and you can hear the suspect screaming.
The video then shows a small crowd forming, with several people on the street saying 'Relax.' Then you see London being taken away in handcuffs by officers.
However, the video does not show anything that happened prior to London being detained.
We reached out to Norfolk Police about the incident. They provided this statement in full:
The Norfolk Police Department is aware of this incident that involves multiple Officers making an arrest in the 200 block of Granby Street. On April 23, 2022, around 4:40 p.m. the Officers stopped a man who was driving an ATV-style vehicle in the 200 block of Granby Street. During the incident, the driver, Ramel D. London, 22, of Norfolk, became uncooperative with police. As a result, London was charged with two counts of assault and battery on law enforcement and is currently being held in Norfolk City Jail without bond. The Office of Professional Standards is conducting an administrative investigation to ensure the actions of the Officers involved were in compliance with Departmental policies and procedures.
Jail records indicate that London has since bonded out of jail.
The News 3 I-Team found that according to his arrest warrants and his bond sheet, London is employed by the United States Navy. Those documents state he has no prior criminal record.
Additionally, these records said that he "got in a scuffle with officers" when they pulled him over for driving an uninsured ATV on Granby Street, and two of the officers suffered minor injuries.
The News 3 I-Team spoke to London on the phone. He tells us he was cruising on his ATV on Granby Street because it was nice out that day.
He says a Norfolk Police officer came out on foot and told him he wasn't supposed to be riding this kind of vehicle on Granby Street.
London said the officer asked for his ID and told him to turn the vehicle off. According to London, when he put the clutch in, the vehicle jumped a little bit. He said that's when three officers grabbed him, pulled his shirt over his head, pepper-sprayed him and put him on the ground.
He claimed he was punched in the body five or six times and punched in the head three times. He said they also twisted his arm extremely hard.
London said he went to the hospital and was treated for a cut to his head. He said nothing was broken, but he now feels scared of the police.
"They didn't have to do all that," he said.
London has hired an attorney. News 3 has reached out to that attorney, but we have not yet heard back.
Former detective and crime analyst Richard James, who isn’t affiliated with this incident, reviewed the video. James said it appears to him that the police conducted themselves in an appropriate manner.
James says separate from this incident, he is aware of several complaints from drivers and citizens about people riding illegal motor vehicles in a reckless manner on public streets in Downtown Norfolk.
London’s next court date is set for May 2, 2022.
Norfolk Police also requested that we include the new online resource that makes policing data in Norfolk available to the public.
