Statement from Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro and Vice President Sidney Katz on the use of force during an arrest in Aspen Hill

Statement from Council President Nancy Navarro and Vice President and Chair of the Public Safety Committee Sidney Katz on use of force during an arrest at Aspen Hill Shopping Center 

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 5, 2019—Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro and Vice President and Chair of the Public Safety Committee Sidney Katz made the following statement after viewing cell phone videos from community members showing the use of force by a Montgomery County Police officer during an arrest at McDonald’s in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center.

“We are outraged and deeply saddened to watch the videos that show a young man being apprehended by Montgomery County Police officers using what appears to be excessive force. We appreciate that Acting Police Chief Marcus Jones has promptly initiated a thorough investigation into this arrest. The Council is committed to making sure that all our residents feel safe when interacting with police officers. We have asked that Chief Jones appear before the Montgomery County Council as soon as possible in July to brief us on this incident and share with us his strategies for community-police relations, including de-escalation training strategies, to make our county a safe place for all our residents. We will continue to monitor this investigation and will review the outcome once it’s complete.

We encourage community members who may have witnessed this arrest to contact police investigators at 240-773-6000."

You can read the Montgomery County Police Department’s statement here.