Metro Family Concerned After Video Shows Son's Arrest

<p>A metro family and Oklahoma City Police are looking for answers after cell phone video showed officers using force on a man.</p>

Thursday, May 4th 2017, 6:13 pm

By: News 9


A metro family and Oklahoma City Police are looking for answers after cell phone video showed officers using force on a man.

Thursday, the family of the suspect, Tabotric Dedrick, met with Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater for more than an hour behind closed doors.

Prater told News 9 he assured the family a full investigation will be done. 

Dedrick’s father, Frederick, said he was shocked when he saw cell phone video circulating on social media, showing officers kneeing and holding down his son.

“No human being, not even a dog, should be done like that,” said Dedrick. “That is wrong!” 

Hearing his son’s screams on video brought him to tears.

“No one deserves to be beat like that,” said Dedrick. “He was pleading and begging for his life - and they were still beating him.”

Wednesday, police released details of the May 2nd incident, and the actions leading up to the video.

Police said Tabotric Dedrick, 34, left a suspected drug house in south Oklahoma City, which undercover officers were monitoring. When officers noticed Dedrick drive away from the home, they followed his car. Dedrick then reportedly stopped his vehicle. Officers say they got out of their car, and heard a string of gunshots. Backup was called and a police pursuit began.

“At this point in time we do not know whether he intended to shoot at the officers or discharged his weapon,” said OCPD Captain Paco Balderrama with the Oklahoma City Police Department. “We don't know what his motive was exactly. But again, we have strong evidence that he was in fact the shooter.”

Minutes later police cornered Dedrick at a motel parking lot near I-35 and SE 66th Street. A witness from the motel recorded the incident with his cell phone at that point. A copy of the video has been reviewed by both police and the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office.

“We were able to find a weapon inside the car,” said Balderrama. “So we do believe the individual who was detained and has been identified as Tobatric Dedrick, was the shooter.”

Police confirm forensics will be done on the weapon to confirm who fired it. Police also confirm another person in the car fled on foot but was captured and arrested.

“He was just supposed to pick up a car part and that was it,” said Michelle Ladd, who says she is Dedrick’s girlfriend. Ladd said she was with Dedrick earlier that evening. She was also at the hotel where this cell phone video was shot. She says that's where they had visited friends during the week.

“They drug him out of the car and continued to beat him and officers just kept coming and coming,” said Ladd.

The family of Dedrick said they visited him at the hospital Wednesday night. He is currently on a ventilator and in-and-out of consciousness; while being held in police custody.

The family has reached out to the ACLU and contacted a lawyer. The four officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of a police investigation.

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