Kentucky man livestreaming cops as they carry out arrest is hit with 'solid left hook' by officer and then booked for menacing
A man who was filming an arrest on Facebook Live was confronted by police officers and allegedly punched before being arrested himself in Jeffersontown, Kentucky.
Joe Bennett claims he was hit 'with a solid left hook' by the officer after he began recording a livestream on Tuesday when he saw five police cars swarming around a suspect, which he deemed to be excessive.
For most of the video, Bennett narrates while standing at a distance next to a McDonald's, approximately 50 feet away from the police action according to the New York Post.
At various points in the video, he even makes mention of his own desire to avoid getting caught up in the incident, claiming he was not 'looking for a problem' and was 'trying to stay away so I don't get involved.'
'This might be the most boring live video ever,' Bennett says at one point.
About three minutes into the stream, however, at least one officer becomes aware of the fact that they are being recorded, with two officers quickly approaching Bennett.
Bennett chose to record the arrest live on Facebook because he viewed it as his duty to keep everyone involved accountable
When police officers noticed Bennett was filming, however, the situation changed quickly
The police officers asked Bennett for his identification before one of them proceeded to strike Bennett before the livestream ended
'You’re filming a crime scene investigation…and you’re involved,' one officer says to Bennett while asking him to produce identification.
When Bennett defends his actions, there is a clear scuffle over the phone, with the video continuing to show a physical confrontation for several seconds before the livestream ends.
Police claim an officer was forced to hit Bennett with an 'empty strike' during the arrest.
Bennett, on the other hand, claims that he was hit with a 'solid left hook' and needed medical treatment in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Police ultimately issued a citation to the filmographer for menacing and resisting arrest.
According to Spectrum News 1, one of the suspects in the crime police were initially responding to - a check fraud scheme unfolding at a Citizens Union Bank across the street - implicated Bennett by pointing to him during the arrest.
Joe Bennett, of Jeffersontown, Kentucky, was the victim of an alleged assault by a police officers after he was accosted for filming a separate arrest last week
The officers, pictured on the Jeffersontown Police Department Facebook page, confronted Bennett when he filmed the arrest
Bennett has since been ruled out as a suspect in that crime.
Lt. Col. Steve Schmidt of the Jeffersontown Police Department told Spectrum that the police would like to speak to Bennett about what happened.
Bennett, however, wants to find a lawyer before engaging in that discussion.
' proper police work, they should have approached me gently,' Bennett said to Spectrum. 'I wasn't going anywhere, I wasn't in my vehicle, I wasn't gonna flee.
'They certainly shouldn't have hit me first and asked questions later.'