Several videos circulating online are raising questions about how Indianapolis Metropolitan Police has interacted with the public downtown.
Devin Hunt, 25, was shot multiple times with a less-lethal gun, punched, and arrested by police on June 15. Viral video of the encounter depicted him being shot by Officer Steven Michael Rzyski and punched several times by an officer while on the ground.
Hunt was exchanging words with another man downtown in the early hours of June 15, as a crowd gathered around them. That’s when he said nearby officers made the crowd disperse, and he feels the situation shouldn’t have been escalated further by Rzyski.
In a statement regarding the incident, IMPD said officers intervened in an argument between Hunt and another man downtown. Hunt allegedly “squared his shoulders” toward an officer and struck the officer’s hand after the officer extended his arm to create space. Police said Hunt was later punched in the torso as officers attempted to get control of his hands to place him in handcuffs.
“He walked up while I was walking away,” Hunt told IndyStar of the interaction with Rzyski. “I know he’s still a police officer, so I couldn’t have done anything.”
Hunt was arrested on charges including battery of a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting law enforcement, and possession of marijuana. The next day, while video of the interaction and arrest was going viral, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced that no charges would be filed against Hunt, pending further investigation.
Hunt said he plans to report the interaction to IMPD’s Citizens’ Police Complaint Board and wants further action taken against the involved officers.
Devin Hunt, shot by less-lethal weapons, thrown to the ground, and punched multiple times
Hunt was downtown after midnight when he said he saw a man harassing a woman. That same man then went on to harass someone he knew, so Hunt approached the man and exchanged words. Video of the incident shows Hunt with his hands in his pants while engaged with the man. No physical altercation occurred.
Hunt said he noticed an unidentified female police officer and Rzyski nearby.
“(A female officer) didn’t allow the situation to escalate,” Hunt said. “I want everybody to know that he (Rzyski) walked up.”
IMPD said that after Hunt was detained, a gun was recovered from the ground. In their statement, police said it’s important to note that videos only capture a portion of the incident. Any use of force by an officer is subject to an administrative review.
“Don’t touch me, dude,” Hunt said he told Rzyski. “And I should be able to slap your hand away without being shot like that. Equal force, right? Then you’re sending non-lethals at me, not even knowing I got a gun on me. My gun was on my hip, and my hand was in my pants because it was cold.”
The temperature around 3 a.m., when the incident occurred, was about 67 degrees.
In a statement to IndyStar, IMPD said it has initiated an internal investigation to determine whether the use of force was reasonable and aligned with department policy and training.
IMPD’s police force policy for de-escalation
In the department’s General Orders, IMPD’s use of force policy states officers will attempt to de-escalate situations to resolve encounters without the use of force when feasible. Officers are trained to increase physical distance between themselves and a subject, and an officer must never knowingly or intentionally escalate a situation to provoke someone.
Rzyski pushing Hunt back could be looked at as creating distance, although Hunt said Rzyski intentionally walked in front of him. Regardless of Hunt’s physical reaction being a slap to the officer’s outstretched hand, pushing Rzyski’s hand away can be viewed by the department as battery of an officer, resulting in an arrest, according to police.
Hunt’s mother, Sykrecia Reese, told IndyStar that police are not the problem and instead blamed their training.
“I really still can’t look at the video,” she told IndyStar. “It’s very painful and traumatic. That broke my heart seeing that. It really disturbed my soul.”
Since 2021, IMPD has used ICAT, Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics, to train officers in de-escalation.
The department told IndyStar that every officer is trained in de-escalation from the beginning of their career, with training starting in the academy and being reinforced throughout their career. A spokesperson said the department knows from experience that de-escalation can be effective, “especially when the individuals involved are willing to engage.”
After the video of Hunt went viral, another surfaced of a situation involving officers’ recent use of force on a man downtown.
Other videos showcasing police interactions downtown
Just after midnight on June 1, in the 200 block of South Meridian Street in front of the Brother’s Bar and Grill downtown, Officer Alek Andrew Dennison and Sgt. Austin Hedden were working off-duty at the restaurant.
Caven Hunt Jr., who isn’t related to Devin Hunt, told IndyStar he and his cousin were waiting in line with a group of friends to enter the bar. After more than an hour’s wait, they left the line to use a restroom elsewhere, and, upon returning, attempted to rejoin their group in line.
Dennison approached them and said they couldn’t get their spot back, Hunt. Jr. told IndyStar. When Hunt Jr. asked him why, Dennison told them to step out of the line, and they weren’t allowed inside. After stepping outside the line, Hunt Jr. said he and the officer had a “normal conversation.”
“But it escalated when my cousin accidentally bumped into Officer Dennison,” Hunt Jr. said. According to a probable cause affidavit for their arrest, while Hunt Jr. spoke with the officer, his cousin shoved Dennison in the back with force.
“In response, he grabbed her, causing us to be tangled,” Hunt Jr. said.
Court documents filed by police paint a different picture. Sgt. Hedden observed the interaction and took the woman into custody, and records written by police said Hunt Jr. got upset and grabbed his cousin, interfering with her arrest.
That’s when Dennison used his Taser “to secure Hunt Jr. into handcuffs as he refused to follow commands” and get on the ground with his hands behind his back.
“Despite the initial shock, I was still standing, so he tased me a second time. I placed my hands behind my back to be handcuffed, but despite this, I was tased a third time, causing me to finally fall. I never posed a threat to him or resisted.”
A friend recorded the situation, and the 21-second video depicts the moments when Dennison tased Hunt Jr. twice while a crowd of bystanders scream their protest against the arrest.
Hunt Jr. was charged with resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct.
“I feel like my rights were violated,” Hunt Jr. said. “I’ve tried to make a formal complaint and I’ve been waiting on a call back for weeks now after I emailed them (Citizens’ Police Complaint Board) the video. They haven’t gotten back to me yet. I’ve left a few messages with them.”
IndyStar has reached out to the Citizens’ Police Complaint Board. A representative said the board spoke with Hunt Jr. earlier this month.
“However, he has not submitted an email with an accompanying video, nor has he completed the required complaint forms to date,” The board said in a statement. “We will follow up with him directly to determine whether he needs further assistance or has any additional questions about the process.”
Another man arrested for resisting law enforcement downtown
Even larger crowds have gathered downtown over the last two weeks during the NBA Finals to support the Pacers.
At 12:26 a.m. on June 19, Kylan Williams started recording video of a man being pulled from the sunroof of a car on Pennsylvania Street by officers with IMPD’s Bike Response Group. Video of the arrest has been widely shared on social media, prompting questions about the incident.
According to a probable cause affidavit for a 24-year-old’s arrest, Officer Chris Kaleel had a clear view of the front of the vehicle as the man’s upper body extended out of the sunroof. Kaleel said he saw the man holding a black handgun in his right hand by his waist and believed the man was preparing to fire the weapon near the crowd.
Court documents stated that as the man continued to raise the handgun, he looked up and made eye contact with Kaleel. The man’s eyes widened, and he dropped the firearm into the car and raised his hands. Kaleel grabbed the man’s arms to prevent him from retrieving the gun and ordered him to climb out of the sunroof.
Court records state that the man ignored Kaleel’s orders, so Kaleel placed his right arm into what is commonly referred to as a “kimura” hold, as taught in the IMPD Training Academy, used to maintain control of people resisting arrest. The man kept asking to exit from the passenger door, but Kaleel explained he could not because of the gun.
“He finally opened the door and tried to get out of the car, and as he opened the door, they seen a gun on the floor of the car so their justification was they tried to snatch him up because they saw him reach down for a gun and they wanted to protect their safety. That was word for word, what they said to me,” Williams, who said he only saw the man holding a cellphone, told IndyStar.
In court documents, Kaleel stated that after the man exited the vehicle through a car door, he was resisting arrest. But with assistance, he was placed into handcuffs. Williams said that while detained, the man told him that he never reached for his gun.
The man was arrested by police on allegations of criminal recklessness, disorderly conduct, and resisting law enforcement. He hasn’t been officially charged by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
Williams said the situation downtown didn’t surprise him, but it left him conflicted. He doesn’t want to “demonize” IMPD as a whole, because he said there are some great cops on the force.
“Some days I see situations and think that man is just trying to do his job, and make it home to his family, and the civilian is making it worse,” Williams said.
Hunt Jr. said he’s been suffering from PTSD and depression since he and his cousin were arrested.
Devin Hunt feels that IMPD’s mission to connect to the community hasn’t been met with serious commitment and argues that the department’s outreach efforts often feel performative, lacking the transparency and reform needed to build genuine trust.
IMPD officials pointed to multiple community outreach efforts meant to build relationships with the city’s youth and in each neighborhood.
“We recognize that policing is most effective when it is done with the community, not just for the community,” IMPD said to IndyStar in a statement. … “But these efforts only work when our neighbors are involved. By showing up and engaging, we can build stronger relationships and work together to prevent violence before it occurs.”
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘My rights were violated.’ Downtown arrests raise questions about IMPD use of force
Reporting by Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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