Police Use Court Order to Detain Man Who’s Been Troubling People Downtown
A man who has allegedly been harassing people – particularly women – in downtown East Lansing was detained by East Lansing Police during a brief confrontation at Blue Owl Coffee Co. Sunday morning around 10 a.m. Police were authorized under a court order to make the detention.
ELi previously reported citizens have been pushing the police to take more action against the man as his behavior has ranged from menacing (asking groups of young people if they want to see his scissors) to peculiar (dragging a large box around with him by an attached strap). He has reportedly displayed scissors and a hammer when approaching strangers in a confrontational manner.
ELPD told ELi in January that police officers and social workers had been working with the man and his family to try to remedy the situation.
But this Sunday morning (April 23), acting on a call from Blue Owl staff and the court order, officers detained the man and took him away in handcuffs.
During the detention, the man accused the officers of targeting him because he is Black and said they were violating his rights under the first, second, third, fourth and fifth amendments.
A Blue Owl staff member (who ELi is not identifying out of safety and privacy concerns) told ELi the man has been frequenting the store at 213 Ann Street and has been particularly aggressive toward women. The staff member said the man sometimes waits until male staff have stepped away before trying aggressively to engage the women. His behaviors have caused substantial stress among the staff and patrons at the shop.
The staff member also said the man has sometimes stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, staring down customers as they seek to enter. He said the situation has been challenging for many months and it appears the man has mental health problems.
The staff member said the man had recently for a time “mellowed out and stopped all the nonsense, acting cooler. He didn’t have a mask or anything and acted like a normal guy. But then after a month of that, he picked up his nonsense again and it keeps escalating.”
He said the staff had felt the need to call the police out of concern for people in the shop.
This reporter happened to be on the scene Sunday morning for a 10 a.m. meeting with another ELi staff member, Al Hargrave Jackson, ELi’s Donor Relations Manager.
Hargrave Jackson, who is a law student at Michigan State University, said when the man first showed up Sunday morning, he stood outside the store using the reflective window to put on his face paint. She said it appeared the coffee shop’s staff called the police out of concern.
Then police showed up – first one car, then another, with soon all four patrol vehicles on duty at the scene. (On a typical shift, ELPD has four patrol officers and a supervisor working.)
According to Hargrave Jackson, the man came inside with the police following him. The man told those inside the store that he was sure the police were going to hurt him and he appealed to them to help him, particularly the two other Black men in the shop at the time. Then he made his way behind the counter where the officers rushed to handcuff him, first getting him to the floor.
Workers and patrons of the shop watched the actions of the officers closely, concerned about the man’s safety. All of the witnesses with whom ELi spoke said the police acted in a fashion that did not raise any red flags.
ELPD Lieutenant Adrian Ojerio was one of the four officers who responded to the call. He responded to a request for more information by ELi afterwards, writing by email, “Officers did act on a court order. However, at this time, the Police Department cannot provide further details about the court order.”
Ojerio added, “The East Lansing Police Department will continue to monitor and work with all resources, the community, social workers, and law enforcement to ensure public safety and assist and support those who live in and visit East Lansing.”