An officer with the Oxford Police Department (OPD) has been placed on administrative leave after a video of a November arrest went viral on TikTok.
In the video, officer Matthew Blauvelt, who is white, can be seen repeatedly punching a Black student in the head while at least two other men attempt to hold the student down outside of Brick Street Bar on North Poplar Street in Oxford.
The video was first shared on Dec. 23 by TikTok user @femmeslibre, who claims to be related to first-year Miami University student and football player Devon Johnson, 20. In the since-deleted, since-re-uploaded TikTok, she says Johnson was attacked without cause during a routine night out with friends at Brick Street on Nov. 18.
“The bouncer had attacked Devon, he had no idea who he was. Now you can see all the bouncers attacking Devon,” she says over footage of the incident. “Keep in mind, he had not gotten into any fights, he had not done anything belligerent.”
In a Dec. 26 Facebook post, OPD agreed the video may be “troubling for many to watch,” but described an incident between Brick Street staff and Johnson leading up to the use of force that directly contradicts the family member on TikTok.
“On November 18, 2023 at approximately 1:20am, a 20 year old male entered through an exit only gate at a local bar and pushed past a female staff member,” the post reads. “The bar manager confronted the individual and reported that he sustained injuries when the individual assaulted him. The individual refused to leave the bar and an altercation carried outside the bar. Bar staff called for police assistance. When the officer arrived at the scene, he observed the individual resisting and he was unable to complete the arrest until additional officers were able to assist in getting him into handcuffs. The individual was taken to the Oxford Police station where he became cooperative and did not have any injuries that required medical attention.”
The widely circulated footage was from Brick Street’s outdoor security cameras, the business said in a Dec. 26 Instagram post. They said the footage was shared voluntarily to relevant parties for the sake of transparency.
“By now you are aware of a disturbing video that was released showing a portion of the incident involving our staff, Devin Johnson, and the Oxford Police,” the post reads. “Please note that the video released in the TikTok post was from our cameras; it was not from a personal phone. We released all footage angles voluntarily to relevant parties as transparency is important. The video is disturbing, especially for Devin and family members. We are grateful that Devin and our crowd manager did not require any medical attention and that Devin was released at the police station shortly after the incident. Regardless, it does not change the fact that this portion of the video is disturbing and has evoked emotions. We deeply regret the scrutiny that this video has caused for both Devin and our employees.”
Miami University has also released a statement about the video footage, saying the university has contacted the city of Oxford to “learn more” about the incident.
“Miami University’s top priority is the safety and well being of all of our students. We recently were made aware of a disturbing video which appears to be showing a member of local public law enforcement not affiliated with the university striking one of our students at an off campus location,” the post reads. “As soon as we were made aware, we were in touch with the student and his representative to offer support. We will continue to honor his right to privacy. We have contacted the City of Oxford to learn more about this incident and to express our deep concerns about what occurred. We have learned that Oxford Police Department is conducting an investigation into the use of force by the officer and will conduct an administrative review of its policies.”
OPD said it’s investigating the use of force and urged the public to not spread “misinformation” during the review process.
“The Oxford Police Division is committed to ensuring an impartial investigation is conducted into the use of force,” the post reads. “Our primary goal is to maintain transparency, uphold the highest standards of professionalism, and ensure the trust and confidence of the community we serve. We ask the public to allow the review processes to be completed and not spread misinformation on social media.”
Johnson has been charged with underage possession, criminal trespass, resisting arrest and assault, according to OPD.
CityBeat has requested the arrest report, body camera footage and Blauvelt’s personnel file.
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This article appears in Dec 13-26, 2023.