College Station police respond to concerns about arrest inside mall
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The College Station Police Department responded on social media Friday to concerns about a man arrested inside Post Oak Mall.
Police said officers were dispatched to the mall for a follow-up investigation involving a wanted man who was on the property.
Officers say when they approached Lester Guyton, Jr., 49, of Bryan, inside the mall, he tried to run away but was stopped by police and bystanders.
“Guyton resisted the officers’ attempts to safely take him into custody and was subsequently tased before being placed in handcuffs. In accordance with department policy, CSFD paramedics were called to the scene by officers for a medical evaluation,” CSPD shared on Facebook.
Cell phone video shared with KBTX shows Guyton repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe while being handcuffed. The video also shows him appearing to convulse, which some bystanders suggest could have been a seizure. Two officers then turn him onto his side in what’s called a “recovery position” that helps to prevent asphyxiation.
The story continues below the video
@kendrasmith539 I literally witness this man go into a seizure after he KEPT telling them HE COULDNT BREATHE and kept tasing him!!! SMH I HOPE THIS COMES ACCROSS THE RIGHT PPL! #collegestationtexas #collegestationpolice #stoppolicebrutality ♬ original sound – Kendra Smith
Concerned customers inside the mall called 911 as they watched what was happening inside.
Based on the cell phone video, it took paramedics less than 7 minutes to arrive at the location where Guyton was immediately loaded onto a stretcher and then transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Guyton’s condition isn’t known at the time of the publication of this article and he has not yet been booked into the Brazos County Detention Center, according to online jail records.
Police say after he’s released, he’ll be taken to the county jail for previous warrants that included charges of possession of a controlled substance, credit card abuse, failure to ID, and evading arrest. He’ll also face new charges for Friday’s incident at the mall including evading arrest, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance/cocaine.
Police say they later found cocaine and marijuana inside a bag Guyton was carrying prior to him running from officers in the mall.
“In accordance with CSPD policy, any use of force by an officer will be documented and reviewed to ensure that policies and procedures are followed,” the department said in its statement.
The department’s full statement is shared below:
