IMPD Handling Of Person In Distress Questioned

A couple on the City's southside are questioning the manner in which police responded to an emergency call at their apartment complex after they discovered a young man, Maxwell Harper, passed out in front of their door. WRTV's Rick Hightower showed video the apartment residents recorded of police and emergency responders mistreating Harper, who they placed in handcuffs, picked up by the throat and then drug him down a flight of stairs like they were dragging trash out to a dumpster to dispose of. The witnesses said police also dropped him several times.

Amber Owens said she heard something outside her door and when she looked out, she found Maxwell Harper, 19, laying unconscious on the ground.

Owens said Harper's brother called 911. When paramedics and police arrived, they treated him "more like a prisoner rather than a patient" by putting handcuffs on him and allegedly dragging him down the stairs, Owens said.


Owens called 6News after recording video of the incident on her cell phone.

"(In the video) you're going to see them pick him up by his throat," said Owens, commenting on the video. "They said the reason why they threw him on his head is that he was resisting, and there was no way he could have done anything. He was laying in front of our apartment complex completely passed out."

Harper's brother and girlfriend said they also think the incident was mishandled by police and paramedics.

"It wasn't a professional way to take care of a sick person. Even though he was underage and drinking, it was a very unprofessional way to take care of the situation," said Nick Harper, Maxwell's brother.

Nick also said his brother was dropped to the ground more than once during the incident.

"They dropped him again while they had the cuffs on him. Then they got him about three feet up off the ground and just dropped him right on his face while his arms were behind his back," said Nick Harper.

"We called for help and they beat him up pretty much," said Kirstin Brand, Maxwell's girlfriend.

Police claimed they handcuffed and treated Harper as they did because he was resisting arrest, but the witnesses say he was completely passed out and incapable of resisting, which seems rather apparent from the video.