INKSTER, MI — After being pulled from his vehicle, 57-year-old Floyd Dent of Detroit was choked, punched 16 times, kicked and shocked three times with a Taser. The entire arrest was captured by a police car dash-cam recorder.
William Melendez, the officer who delivered the barrage of punches, was officially fired by Inkster after a five-day suspension Wednesday, says his union representative, Teamsters Local 214 Business Representative Al Lewis. Lewis said City Manager Robert Marsh technically fired Melendez, though Police Chief Vicki Yost, a human resources representative, city attorney and finance employee were also in attendance.
“I was told today at the meeting that both the internal investigation (and the state police investigation), neither are complete,” Lewis said. “If you’re going to be discharged, I think you should wait until the investigations” are concluded. “In my opinion, it’s basically to appease public opinion.” The arrest spurred at least two rallies in the city of nearly 25,000.