SALT LAKE CITY — Chief Mike Brown of the Salt Lake City Police Department has placed six of the department's officers under investigation for an arrest that took place on December 15, 2019.
A witness had been trying to get a copy of the body camera video for approximately three-and-a-half years. Chief Brown placed the officers on leave around the same time the department released the body camera video in 2023.
Sgt. Brandon Shearer originally stopped Tarik Mason for jaywalking. After telling him they were going to check for warrants, Mason ran.
During the pursuit, officers pulled out a gun and tackled Mason. As they struggled to get him into handcuffs, officers hit and tased him.
Officers said they found methamphetamine and scales to weigh the drugs.
Mason was treated for a few scratches but never filed a complaint.
SLCPD declined to release the names of the six officers under investigation, but FOX 13 News has obtained their names from several sources with direct ties to the case.
- Sgt. Brandon Shearer
- Dale Nicholas
- Devin Edmunds
- Nick Witzel
- Riley Strickland
- Stetson Sartor
The witness who requested the body camera video told investigators he felt "the other officers already had the siutation under control when the last officer showed up and delivered a knee strike to Mason's buttock and a second knee strike to Mason's thigh... He thinks that SLCPD does a good job, however, he feels that the one officer that was last to arrive just got caught up in the moment and used too much force."
Some say Chief Brown overreacted by placing the six officers on leave. Others say he did the right thing, albeit three-and-a-half years too late.
"It’s very reactionary," said Rich Lewis, a retired captain with the Salt Lake City Police Department. "I think that a lot of the officers feel like they’re behind a curtain. Leaders on the fourth floor or the chief's office are behind the curtain doing things without letting them know."
Lewis used to oversee internal affairs and has questions about the chief's decision.
"Why are we putting them on leave now?" he asked.
SLCPD has declined all interviews, but in an email Chief Brown acknowledged the case "should have been reviewed more in 2019" and that he’s taken steps to "immediately rectify (the situation) and prevent future occurrences by enacting more rigorous standards and expectations when it comes to these matters."
Lewis referred to it as a "waste of taxpayer money."
"The [internal affairs] process is very simple," explained Lewis. "A complaint comes in. It’s assigned to an investigator. It’s investigated. Then you make a determination. Very simple."
"It just goes on and on and on and it’s not fair to everybody."
This case was also screened for criminal charges, but the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office decided none of the six officers should be charged with a felony.
All six officers have returned to work as the internal affairs investigation continues.