East Lansing Won’t Pursue Charges Against Woman Punched by ELPD Officer

East Lansing announced Friday that city attorneys will not pursue charges against Myanna Collins, a 20-year-old Black woman whose Aug. 2 arrest gained attention after a video circulated online that shows an ELPD officer punch her repeatedly while she is face down with her arms restrained behind her back.

The incident has drawn backlash against the ELPD, as residents at public meetings have said the incident shows police brutality. A day after the video began circulating online, the city issued a press release that said the video circulating does not show the whole picture and that one officer was placed on paid administrative leave. The city defended officers’ actions in a press release published Friday.

“After a careful review of this case and the information that has come to light in recent weeks, we have decided not to pursue charges in this case,” East Lansing City Attorney Carlito Young said in the release. “However, I want to make it clear that this decision does not call into question the propriety of the officers’ decisions on the night of Ms. Collins’ arrest. They responded to a difficult and rapidly evolving situation, cooperated fully with all subsequent reviews and have maintained professionalism throughout more than two months of public scrutiny.”

The city has not released the names of any of the officers involved.

A cell phone video that shows a Black woman being struck by an ELPD officer during an arrest outside of Harper’s Brew Pub. About 4:30 into the video, an officer strikes the woman in the back multiple times. (Originally posted on Facebook page Tayski Ox)

The ELPD will release body camera footage from the four officers involved in the incident, according to Friday’s press release. The release does not say when that footage will be posted.

There have been a number of unresolved policing controversies in East Lansing over the last year. In August of 2025, an ELPD officer pepper sprayed two Black men downtown and the department publicized their arrest by naming both men in a press release. Security footage later released appears to show one of the men came from the curb to deescalate a confrontation involving his friend, before the officer deployed pepper spray shortly after arriving on the scene. Charges against both men were dropped after the footage was released and they are now suing the city.

A video showing East Lansing police deploying pepper spray. About 90 seconds into the clip, which does not contain audio, it appears men in line begin to argue. (Annotated by Anna Liz Nichols)

In April, ELPD officers fatally shot 21-year-old Isaiah Kirby, a Black Michigan State University student. Kirby is suspected of stabbing a local attorney shortly before he was shot.

A month after the shooting, the ELPD released footage that showed officers fired around 20 shots at Kirby while he was running along the bike lane on Abbot Road in the direction of officers who had stopped their cars in his path. There were three distinct volleys of shots fired – two when Kirby is no longer on his feet. Some residents and advocates have said officers used excessive force and that Kirby’s death could have been prevented.

Earlier in October, Kirby’s mother spoke at a town hall and City Council meeting, saying the ELPD has not been transparent since the shooting and demanding the department release its review into the incident.

In September, an Adrian College criminal justice professor contracted by the city’s Police Oversight Commission found that there was a dramatic increase in the number of times ELPD officers used force in 2025 compared to 2024, and Black people were much more likely to be subjected to severe force, even when factors like resisting arrest are accounted for.