Michigan State Police Punch Handcuffed Man In Face - Gets Charged - Blue Line Earning The Hate

SAGINAW, Mich. (WJRT) - Saginaw police body camera sheds new light on a traffic stop in March, where a Michigan State Trooper punched a handcuffed man.

The state trooper has been charged with assault.

But in a move that surprised police, the county prosecutor and civic groups, three other police officers were charged.

We have shown you the cell phone video taken by someone who witnessed the incident, but the body camera video gives the story a fresh perspective.

It shows the struggle police had with getting the man, who was suspected of drunk driving, in the state police car and it also shows the first time the state trooper hit him.

The body camera video is from Saginaw Police officer Jordan Engelhart on the morning of March 28th on Annesley in Saginaw as Michigan State Police trooper Bram Schroeder is handcuffing Vance Martin, accused of speeding and running two stop signs.

Martin would not identify himself and police believed he had been drinking alcohol.

Engelhart questioned another man who was in the car.

The video indicates a little more than two minutes after Engelhart arrived, Schroeder and Saginaw Police officer Dominic Vasquez, repeatedly ask the man to get into the backseat of the state trooper's car, but Martin resisted.

Schroeder hits Martin in the face. You can see state trooper Zachary Tebedo rush around the car after the punch.

Engelhart calls for an ambulance. From Vasquez's body camera, we can hear him ask Martin a few minutes later if he wants to stand up.

A couple of minutes later, an ambulance arrives, but Martin declines treatment.

Police then try to get Martin to go into the police car again, even a bystander is telling Martin to get in the car, but he resists, and about 14 minutes after Schroeder punched Martin, he hits him again with four punches.

Vasquez and Tebedo help Martin get up.

The state police Professional Standards Section investigated and the Saginaw County prosecutor's office sent the report to the Attorney General's office, which decided to charge the case itself, charging Schroeder with misconduct in office and assault.

But in a move that shocked Saginaw County Prosecutor John McColgan, surprised Saginaw civic group leaders, and angered police, Saginaw officers Engelhart and Vasquez and state trooper Tebedo were charged with neglect of duty, apparently for not intervening.

We did speak with Pastor Robert Davis of the Saginaw Citizens Advisory Committee, who had seen the body camera footage before the Attorney General's office issued the charges, and in respect to the two officers and state trooper charged with neglect of duty, he asks, "what were they supposed to do"?