WYFF 4 NewsGreenville County Sheriff Office officials say a deputy seen on video punching a man inside Walmart during an arrest has been put on administrative leave and an internal investigation is underway.
The incident happened on Saturday at the store on White Horse Road.
A woman videotaped part of the incident and sent the video to WYFF News 4. She didn’t want her name released and insists the deputy used too much force.
“It was on the side of the face,” she said about the punches. “It was so many times… on the side of his head and then I saw him punch him in his back. I was like, ‘Please stop punching him, because it’s too many punches.”
Video of the incident was also posted on social media sites. Deputies said they have been reviewing several of these videos, including several camera angles from Walmart security, as part of their internal investigation.
Deputies say the video only shows part of what happened inside and outside the store and on Sunday said the following events led to what is seen on the video.
- A man, later identified as Sandon Matthew Sierad, stood at an electronics checkout counter for approximately 10 minutes and never attempted to make a purchase.
- Sierad waited until an employee walked away from the cash register and he walked behind the counter and removed a cash box from underneath the register before being confronted by management.
- Management advised Sierad he needed to leave the property and he was escorted to the front of the store.
- Once at the front of the store, Sierad entered the Hair Salon area rather than leaving as ordered by Walmart management. Sierad got into an altercation with employees inside the Salon and still refused to leave the business.
- Sierad eventually walked out of the Salon and exited Walmart. Due to Sierad’s erratic behavior, the employees of the Salon were afraid for their safety and closed and locked the security gate. Sierad attempted to come back inside the Salon after he had already exited Walmart. Sierad stated to an employee as he was walking back in the store that he had a bomb but was not found to be in possession of any explosive device at the time of arrest.
- An employee at the Hair Salon calls 911 at 1:10 pm regarding Sierad causing a disturbance.
- Sierad exited Walmart a second time and is seen walking to his White Dodge pickup truck which was parked in the parking lot close to the entrance/exit doors.
- Sierad called 911 while he was standing at his vehicle and advised dispatch that he was looking for his truck. He made the statement to the dispatcher that she must have taken his truck. Sierad was beside his vehicle in the parking lot the entire time and even opened the truck door and the hood of the truck.
- At 1:14 pm, the first deputy arrived on scene and management was watching Sierad and began pointing to where he was. The deputy pulled in front of Sierad’s truck and as the deputy exited his patrol car, Sierad walked directly at the deputy and stopped only within a few feet of him. The deputy kept a knife secured on his uniform shirt around his chest area. Sierad reached for the deputy’s knife on three separate occasions while the deputy was attempting to calm him down and talk with him to determine what was going on.
- Sierad walked away from the deputy several times and refused all commands given by the deputy who was trying to keep him near the patrol vehicle away from the store and other innocent bystanders in the parking lot.
- The deputy continued to try to calm Sierad by talking with him and engaging his attention to prevent the situation from escalating.
- Sierad walked away and jumped into the bed of a Walmart patron’s pickup truck that was driving through the parking lot. The driver of the truck slammed on brakes and Sierad stood up, got out of the truck, and again began to walk around the parking lot acting erratic and ignoring the deputy.
- Sierad attempted to get in the bed of the truck a second time before the truck drove away.
- Sierad’s actions were consistent with someone who is under the influence of alcohol and/or drug’s or some other substance.
- At 1:19 pm, a second deputy pulls into the parking lot and Sierad begins to run away from the deputies. Sierad ran back inside Walmart which was very crowded. Not knowing what Sierad’s intentions were and observing his already bizarre behavior, the deputies pursued him inside the store and he continued to ignore all commands and resist arrest. The deputies’ primary focus was the safety of everyone inside the store and to gain control of the situation so that it did not escalate further. Sierad was tased at least two times which had no effect on him. Sierad sat up and grabbed the taser wires which is not the normal reaction of a person who has been tased.
- Upon arrival of a third deputy they were able to gain control of Sierad and secure him into handcuffs. He was taken out to the patrol car and continued to resist deputies who were trying to secure him in the rear of the patrol car. Deputies had to secure his feet in a hobble restraint to gain control of him. He was transported by EMS to a local hospital for evaluation before being placed into the Greenville County Detention Center.
Deputies said Sierad is charged with resisting arrest, assault and battery, breach of peace and public disorderly conduct.
wonder why they went to all that trouble?… dont cops normally just shoot and ask questions later?
why not this guy