Two police officers in Anniston, Alabama, suffered injuries on Aug. 30 after fighting with a man they had tried to arrest, and the incident was captured on a body camera.
Rocket City Now reported that 40-year-old Kajuan Wilneal Reed was pulled over by the officers on suspicion of marijuana. “We smell marijuana coming out of your car. Were you smoking earlier? I can smell marijuana on you,” one officer said.
Then, Reed can be seen fighting with the officers.
Police said that at one point, Reed fired a handgun, but no one was hit. Both officers were injured in the fight. At one point, Reed allegedly bit one of the officers.
“I feel like we were blessed … that I’m not standing here telling you that one of my officers has been shot, or that I’m having to tell you that we just shot a black male,” Anniston Police Chief Shane Denham said. “These officers were in a deadly force situation. … They chose not to use deadly force. If they had used deadly force, I would be 100 percent behind them.”
Reed was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, criminal tampering, possession of marijuana, ex-felon in possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, and attempting to elude arrest.
Reed and the two officers were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries.
ABC3340 reported that one of the police officers used a Taser on Reed but was able to escape during the fight.
Denham also said that Reed swallowed a bag that officers believed was crack cocaine. Police also found a large bag of marijuana in his car, according to the ABC affiliate report.
