Officer Michael Sales, 27, was overpowered and severely attacked while attempting to make an arrest in Rowland, North Carolina, according to video footage that went viral on social media. The savage assault was first livestreamed on Facebook; however, the fistfight isn’t even the most horrifying part of the video.
Officer Sales was the lone officer in the neighborhood when he responded to a complaint of a domestic disturbance at 1 a.m. He then approached suspect Jamel Alphonso Rogers before things became violent.
Officer Sales is seen in the video engaged in a physical altercation with Rogers, who is accused of resisting arrest. The suspect then rushes over to Sales and pulls out his legs, preventing him from being handcuffed. Sales is mercilessly assaulted many times on the ground, leaving him injured and bewildered.
The crowd’s response to the officer’s struggle and ensuing wounds may be the most unsettling aspect of the affair. The person who livestreamed the altercation on Facebook can be heard repeatedly ridiculing Officer Sales and urging Rogers to continue the attack as other witnesses stand by.
Officer Sales, unable to protect himself, let alone detain Rogers, asks for assistance. But, he rapidly understands that he is alone as his screams are mocked.
As the suspect overpowers Sales once again, sitting on top of him and beating him in the face, another guy jumps in and takes him away from the officer. Of course, the onslaught soon continues, and Officer Sales is beaten. The guy then rams Sales into the side of the police vehicle and hits him in the face. At this time, witnesses have noticed that Officer Sales has misplaced his service gun in the middle of the melee.
Officer Sales’ injured face is in focus as the individual filming yells, “Damn, boy, you f—ked him up!” Soon later, Dillon County deputies and Robeson County cops came and arrested Rogers. He was subsequently accused of assault with a dangerous weapon, causing serious wounds with intent to murder, abduction, and two counts of resisting a public official.
Officer Sales was evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment of several injuries, including a suspected orbital fracture. His pistol and other belongings were found at the site.
Sheriff Burnis Wilkins of Robeson County regretted the event, describing it as the brutal reality that law enforcement in America is confronting right now. He cautioned that the event is part of a “disregard for authority” as well as the demonization and dehumanization of police personnel.
Numerous people have said that there was no positive result to the event. If the cop had used force effectively, the anti-police movement may have labeled him a racist. Luckily, the cop survived what so many others who have declined to use deadly force in self-defense have not.
