The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is confident its officers followed protocol during their interaction with Michael Bennett last month, and the organization is calling on the NFL to launch an investigation into the Seattle Seahawks star’s accusations.
Detective Steve Grammas, the president of the LVMPD union, wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell blasting Bennett for his “obvious false allegations against our officers.”
#BREAKING: letter from union for @LVMPD officers to @nflcommish requesting investigation into Michael Bennett @mosesbread72 @LVPPA @8NewsNow pic.twitter.com/B7tdqgag7K
— Vanessa_Murphy (@Vanessa_Murphy) September 7, 2017
“We believe that a fair investigation will establish our officers responded to one of the most dangerous calls a law enforcement officer can be assigned — an active shooter firing rounds in a crowded casino,” the letter read. “As our uniformed officers entered the casino, they observed Bennett hiding behind a slot machine. When officers turned towards Bennett, he bolted out of the casino, leaped over four (4) foot barrier wall, and hid from officers as he crouched close to the wall on the sidewalk.”
Grammas noted that both the officers were minorities and insists they had the right to detain Bennett based on his “unusual and suspicious actions.”
You knew there would be two sides to the story. Bennett said he was simply running away from what he believed were gunshots when officers singled him out because of the color of his skin. The defensive lineman has hired a civil rights attorney and is considering filing a lawsuit against the LVMPD.
A short video clip showed Bennett handcuffed on the ground pleading with officers. Las Vegas police said Wednesday that they have launched an investigation and have dozens of videos they will look through.
