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On August 11, the Salt Lake City Police Department released footage of the January 11 arrest of Megan Joyce Mohn, a 40-year-old woman whose death 19 days after her detainment was ruled a homicide by a medical examiner.
According to Fox News, the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner determined that the death could be considered a murder due to the way Salt Lake City authorities handled the arrest, with many referring to it as an example of police brutality.
During the arrest, the distraught woman could be heard pleading and expressing her fear to the arresting officers.
She said,
“I don’t want to die, please."
Trigger Warning: The following video contains material that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
Amidst the rising scrutiny surrounding the arrest, the Salt Lake City Police Department released footage from 3 bodycams worn by responding officers. The investigation into Mohn's death is currently ongoing.
The controversy surrounding the Salt Lake City Police Department
According to the Independent, at 3:13 am on January 11, the Salt Lake City Police Department received a report that Megan Joyce Mohn was walking in circles with a rebar pipe. It was later discovered that she was in possession of methamphetamine and spices.
In the video, as officers can be heard asking for Mohn's ID, she tells them it has been stolen. After this, she begs the authorities for water, though they deny her request. They eventually cut off her backpack, something which Chris Burbank, the Chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department, took issue with.
He said,
“What entitled you to do that to someone’s possession? There’s nothing under the authority of law that allows them to damage her property.”
She is then eventually restrained by the officers, struggling for roughly 3 minutes before her body goes still. After this, the officer handcuffed her feet. Mohn was eventually taken to the hospital, where it was declared she was in critical condition. Burbank claimed that the officers used excessive force.
He said,
“Ultimately, (the responding officer) caused her death, that interaction caused the death of that woman.”
Burbank continued:
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Why are we there? Why are we there? Why is it necessary to do it?’ In this circumstance, it was not.”
In an official statement, Adrian Lambrinos, an anti-police brutality activist and spokesperson for the Salt Lake City branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, condemned the actions of the responding officers.
He said,
“It’s revolting. We’re disgusted by it, but we’re also not surprised."
Lambrinos continued:
“What we see in the video when they arrive, they’re already trying to establish a motive for themselves to place her under arrest by getting identification. They’re more concerned about that than they are helping the woman.”
According to Chief Burbank, the fact that it took so long for the department to launch an investigation is a failure on their part.
