Victim of verbal dispute speaks out after suspect’s arrest goes viral
By Mamie Bah
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MCKEESPORT, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Two men were involved in a fight over the weekend in McKeesport, with one being arrested.
Video of the arrest has been getting a lot of attention, especially on social media.
Cell phone video was taken during Saturday’s arrest of 72-year-old Callie Stinson Sr. by McKeesport police. An officer appears to be kneeling on Stinson’s neck. Then, two officers are seen kneeing him while he’s on the ground.
The family of Callie Stinson Sr. says police injured him.
Stinson’s family says he’s in the intensive care unit.
One thing community leaders keep stressing is his age; they say no matter what led up to this incident or what he did, officers should not have used this much force.
Harry Simmons told KDKA-TV that this is only part of the story.
“The social media only filmed the last half of it,” Simmons said.
He said way before the camera started rolling, Stinson was in the neighborhood visiting someone when he and Simmons got into a verbal argument.
“[He was] just hurling insults instead of just going in the house when the person he went to see was home,” Simmons claims. “I live here. I wasn’t bothering him. I didn’t say good afternoon. I know our relationship has always been strained.”
On Saturday, just before 1 p.m., police responded to the area for a dispute between the two men.
Simmons’ wife called police.
“The whole thing could have been avoided had he stayed in the house or left,” Simmons said.
According to investigators, Stinson Sr. was threatening to throw a brick at Simmons and even tried to fight.
“The police come up, Mr. Stinson even swung at me, and the policeman rushed up and took him down,” Simmons said.
Investigators say, while on the ground, Stinson resisted arrest, refusing to be handcuffed. He was transported to the hospital for his injuries after the incident.
Stinson’s family told KDKA-TV that he’s still there, hospitalized with head trauma and broken ribs.
Fawn Walker-Montgomery is the CEO of Take Action Advocacy Group. She believes officers could’ve handled this differently.
“No one brings this on themselves. There’s no such thing as a perfect crime or a perfect victim or whoever. No one deserves this regardless. There’s nothing you can tell me that justifies that,” Walker-Montgomery said.
Stinson is charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of resisting arrest.
When asked whether or not officers were too excessive with Stinson’s arrest, Simmons said they did nothing wrong.
“Absolutely not, I’m a fair person. I believe right is right and wrong is wrong, they just did their job,” Simmons said.
McKeesport’s mayor says he understands the public is concerned about the arrest and accountability is of the utmost importance to his administration.
Community leaders say they will host a rally on Saturday to call for accountability near the McKeesport police department at 3:30 p.m.
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