From WLWT-TV News
Unedited Police Video of the entire incident (Windows Media Player required)
Alternate link - Police Video in ‘Real Video’ format
Six Cincinnati police officers were placed on administrative leave after struggling with a suspect who later died in their custody Sunday.
Police received a call about a disorderly person at the White Castle restaurant on Mitchell Avenue in Avondale at about 6 a.m. After two officers arrived, they called for backup when Nathaniel Jones, 41, who weighs about 400 pounds, began to get violent.
A police cruiser camera recorded the entire confrontation on videotape. The first portion of the tape showed one of the officers using his baton multiple times to try to restrain Jones.
The two officers involved in the initial confrontation, James Pike and Baron Osterman, were placed on administrative leave. Four others officers who arrived after Pike and Osterman began struggling with Jones -- Thomas Slade, Guy Abrams, Jay Johnstone and Joehonny Reese -- were placed on administrative leave as well.
Cincinnati police Lt. Col. Rick Janke said the amount of force used was consistent with protocol.
“Taking into consideration everything we’ve seen on the videotape, the officers did what they were trained to do,” he said. “It was a very violent assault by a large man on two of our officers.”
After Jones was restrained, officers realized something was wrong and called firefighters for help, Police spokesman Lt. Kurt Byrd said.
Jones was taken to University Hospital, where he died a short time later, WLWT reported.
James Pike and Baron Osterman were the two officers involved in the initial confrontation. Four others officers who arrived after Pike and Osterman struggled with Jones -- Thomas Slade, Guy Abrams, Jay Johnstone and Joehonny Reese -- were placed on administrative leave as well.
Placing the officers on leave is standard.
Pike and Osterman suffered cuts and scrapes during the confrontation.
Jones has been in trouble with the law before. He was arrested for cocaine possession in 1998. Instead of jail time, he was sentenced to a treatment program, but he violated his probation repeatedly, according to WLWT, and was sentenced in August 1998 to one year in prison.