Members of the Flint city council are calling on the Michigan State Police to investigate allegations city police officers used excessive force in two incidents this week.
The allegations are related to the Flint Police Department’s response to a protest march on Sunday and a melee during Monday’s city council meeting.
In the Sunday incident, a man was forcibly removed from his vehicle during the protest march in downtown Flint. During Monday’s Flint city council meeting, more than a dozen law enforcement officers clashed with protesters upset about Sunday’s incident.
Wednesday, council members Dennis Pfeiffer and Tonya Burns called on the Michigan State Police to investigate allegations that two police officers used excessive force during the two incidents.
Pfeiffer also accused Flint Police Chief Terence Green of giving ”unlawful” orders.
“It’s clear that some of the officers are following orders and not following their oath or specific laws,” said Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer said the two officers should be put on administrative leave while the incidents are investigated.
The Flint Police Department did not respond to Pfeiffer’s allegations before this story's publication Wednesday night.
The department has said it is reviewing video of both incidents and may pursue criminal charges against individuals at the protests.
There was a heavy police presence at Wednesday’s Flint city council meeting.
Monday’s meeting came to halt after a scuffle broke out between protesters and more than a dozen police officers. The fracas broke out as officers attempted to remove a woman whom council members ordered ejected from the meeting.
The crowd at Wednesday’s meeting was boisterous, and several were ejected from that meeting as well.
In one case, officers handcuffed and escorted an armed man out of the council chamber after he refused to stop videotaping the meeting from outside the designated media area.
