Kamaari McCray was arrested Sunday after he was caught urinating in a dumpster area in the 8300 block of Hixson Pike.UPDATE: Although the official investigation into the deputy’s actions is ongoing, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond said Friday he believes the deputy responded as anyone would have.
“Nobody would have reacted any different, I submit to you,” he said. “If you’re standing there and talking to someone you’re going to charge, not knowing what sort of bodily fluid is going to get in your mouth, even including AIDS, you’re going to make an instant reaction.”
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A video of a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy slamming a handcuffed man to the ground raised concerns on social media after a two-minute clip of the Sunday arrest was posted to Facebook by a bystander.
In the video, 24-year-old Kamaari McCray is handcuffed when he and a deputy, Jeremi Vandergriff, get into a shouting match.
McCray and Vandergriff stand face to face, when suddenly the deputy pulls McCray off his feet and slams him into the ground, then holds him down. McCray’s feet fly up toward the hood of a nearby patrol car.
The deputy shouts one angry, indistinguishable word at McCray, then stands over McCray and shouts at the man.
“Stay out of my face and stop spitting blood in my face!” Vandergriff yells.
McCray was in handcuffs because deputies found him urinating in a dumpster area outside a Dollar General store on Hixson Pike around 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, according to an affidavit.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Matt Lea said McCray was uncooperative with officers and tried to run before the video was taken. He said McCray spat blood and saliva into the officer’s mouth.
Lea said the sheriff’s office will investigate the use of force. Vandergriff, 36, has worked for the sheriff’s office for at least eight years.
“The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office takes all complaints seriously and we will thoroughly review and address all concerns regarding this incident; however, the safety of the deputy is also highly important and when a person spits on one of our deputies, it can change the response dramatically,” Lea said in a statement. “The facts won’t change and we will make sure this issue is fully addressed and if any violations are identified, they will be dealt with.”
Lea said Vandergriff will remain on active duty during the investigation.
In his report, Vandergriff said he grabbed McCray “before he could run” and that the two of them “spun into the car [McCray] was driving.” He said McCray began to resist arrest, so he “took him to the ground,” but then McCray jumped up and spat blood in his face.
The video appears to catch the second half of that interaction. The woman who took the video, Heather Melford, complains in the video about a dent in her car. The person who posted the video on Facebook said it seemed like excessive force and also claimed that McCray did not intentionally spit blood in Vandergriff’s face.
Melford did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and McCray could not be reached.
Deputies searched the car that McCray was driving and found 2.7 grams of what appeared to be heroin, Vandergriff wrote in his report.
McCray was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, indecent exposure, possession of heroin for resale, aggravated assault on police and driving on a revoked, suspended or canceled license.
After the video ended, Vandergriff took McCray to a hospital for evaluation. Vandergriff said McCray then threatened him and his family. He said McCray threatened to spit blood in his face again, and got out of the hospital bed and started toward him.
Vandergriff said he then “put his hand on his chest and pushed him back on the bed.”
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.