TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – Three police officers were suspended with pay Monday after videos posted online showed officers using a stun gun and baton to break up a post-football game party and arrest three University of Alabama students.
Tuscaloosa police Chief Steve Anderson said he was “deeply disturbed” by what he saw in the videos and disappointed in the response of the officers, who were responding to a noise complaint.
The incident occurred at an apartment building about a block from Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Alabama defeated Louisiana State University a few hours before the arrests. Residents said fans celebrated into the early morning hours.
The videos, from varying angles, show a Tuscaloosa officer at the apartment’s door, arguing for several minutes with occupants who refuse to exit.
“Please let go of him. You are illegally entering,” one of the young men says while an officer tries to lead another person out of the apartment, located within yards of a row of off-campus bars popular with Alabama students.