Police Officer Who Filmed Troubling Video Of Former St. Joe's Star Delonte West Suspended
OXON HILL, Md. (CBS/AP) — A Maryland police officer has been suspended for shooting a video that shows former Saint Joseph's star Delonte West as he was being questioned while shirtless and handcuffed, a police department said. In the video, the former Saint Joseph's star went on an unintelligible rant after allegedly getting in a fight on a roadway.
One of two videos circulating on social media shows a thin, shirtless man with tattoos sitting on a curb with his hands cuffed behind his back. Police say that man is West and that an officer shot the video.
Prince George's County Police said they learned on Tuesday that an officer shot video of West sitting on the curb and that it was circulating on social media. An investigation followed and the suspension was announced on Tuesday.
The other video shows a man being beaten in the middle of a road.
Police said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that they responded to a call about a fight near the MGM National Harbor casino, located just across the border from Washington. When officers arrived, they saw a man bleeding from the face and "made the decision to handcuff" West.
Police said they learned that West and the second man knew each other and that they had argued earlier that morning. The men refused medical treatment and refused to press charges, police said.
The 36-year-old West played for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. He was part of the St. Joe's Hawks' 2003-04 team that went undefeated during the regular season before losing to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight.
He spoke in 2015 about having bipolar disorder.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
