Mt. Pleasant police chief vows investigation into arrest

MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant Police Chief Lyle Murray said he has asked for an independent investigation into the force used by an officer after a video posted on social media of an arrest on June 29.

In the video, which does not include the entire incident, the unnamed officer is shown repeatedly hitting the suspect.

“The Mount Pleasant Police Department takes all complaints of use of force seriously,” reads the statement from the police released just after 3 p.m. Friday. “The Mount Pleasant Police Chief has assigned an outside agency to independently investigate the arrest.”

The arrest was captured on the officer’s body camera, according to the police statement, and will be turned over to the outside agency as part of the investigation.

The body camera footage was not released, and the officer was not identified.

The video was taken during an arrest June 29 just before 11 p.m. at the Fast Break convenience store on East Washington Street in Mt. Pleasant.

In an initial news release after the arrest, police said the suspect David Hudnall, 31, of Mt. Pleasant struck the officer in the face resulting in injuries that required medical attention when the officer attempted to arrest him.

According to the police report, an officer taking a theft report spotted Hudnall in the store. Hudnall reportedly had an active probation warrant for his arrest and provided a false name to the officer when questioned.

The news release stated: “Hudnall struck the officer in the face which resulted in injuries and medical treatment. Hudnall continued to resist and fought with the officer while trying to get away. Hudnall was eventually restrained.”

The video posted on YouTube does not show the initial confrontation between Hudnall and the officer.

The YouTube video shows Hudnall on the ground with an unidentified police officer on top of him attempting to restrain him, the officer hitting Hudnall with his fists at a couple points during the video.

The video is shot in a car’s driver-side mirror in two parts, the first a minute long. There is a gap before the second video starts because a second officer is seen on top of Hudnall at the start of the second video.

In the second video, which lasts a minute and 15 seconds, a third Mt. Pleasant officer arrives along with a Henry County sheriff’s deputy. The four officers subdue Hudnall and handcuff him.

Police have not released the name of any of the the officers involved as of Friday afternoon.

During the altercation a woman exists the store and questions the officer’s use of force during the incident.

The officer can be heard yelling, “He hit me first,” and, “He’s a criminal, you don’t (expletive) fight with cops.”

The videos were posted as a a comment on the initial news release on the Mt. Pleasant Police Department’s Facebook page. The posting generated a range of comments from support for the officer to complaints of excessive force.

Hudnall was charged with assault on a peace officer, carrying weapons, interference with official acts causing injury, all aggravated misdemeanors. He was also charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Class D felony.

As of Friday afternoon, Hudnall was being held in the Henry County Jail. A court hearing has been scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 9.