Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus is calling on the public to reserve judgment of one of his officers after Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller wrote about an arrest of two women by that officer. Steller’s account of the arrest, Violent incident tests whether Tucson Police Department can police itself, appeared in the Star on Sunday.
“I appreciate that video of this incident raises concerns, but it is important that we had shared the legal requirements him to process and allow both a criminal and administrative investigations to be completed before determinations are made and further steps taken,” stated Magnus in the Department’s announcement. “The Department holds members to the high standards both on and off duty, and we will review this matter in light of those standards.”
According to the Department, “On November 14, an officer of the Tucson Police Department was involved in an incident with several members of the public at a local restaurant. The encounter included physical contact between the other parties and the officer. The officer ultimately took two individuals to the ground and attempted to restrain them.”
The Department claims that Steller failed to “provide a complete description of the event,” and the video posted with the opinion piece “only shows a portion of the interaction between the parties.”
Magnus advised that the incident is already under administrative investigation and will be reviewed by the Pima County Attorney’s Office for a “determination whether any criminal charges should be issued.”
Steller admits in his piece that “the story of what happened Nov. 14 I heard largely from Aloisi, Whitted and Aloisi-Wiles in a Zoom interview Tuesday,” referring to the women involved in the incident.