Ann Arbor police are conducting an internal investigation into how they handled their response to a Punk Week gathering at Bandemer Park on Sunday that resulted in eight arrests for resisting police, authorities said.
Someone filed a complaint with the police department Wednesday night, said spokeswoman Lt. Angella Abrams. She declined to provide specifics.
Abrams said she doesn't know when the investigation will be completed.
An Ann Arbor police officer arrests one of the eight charged with resisting police.
Meanwhile, five of eight people arrested Sunday after police say they refused to leave the park have been released on bail, Washtenaw County Jail officials said this afternoon. The three who remain jailed are: 19-year-old Elijah David King of Oakland, Calif., 31-year-old John Matthew Hoopes of Buffalo, NY; and 25-year-old Ryan Nicholas Walker of West Columbia, SC.
All eight were given $2,500 bonds with the right to post 10 percent during their arraignments Tuesday on charges of resisting and obstructing police officers and disturbing the peace.
The arrests occurred about 5:45 p.m. Sunday after police say they responded to a report that people were smoking marijuana, lounging naked and having sex at the Lake Shore Drive park along the Huron River.
Witnesses say a heated exchange ensued between officers and people who traveled to Ann Arbor from around the country for Punk Week.
Witnesses alleged officers used homophobic and racial slurs and were overly rough with people being taken into custody. A woman used her cell phone to videotape some of the action. One video appears to show someone climbing over a guardrail and letting a woman out of a police car who runs before being tackled by an officer.
Police say the entire incident lasted at least 40 minutes.
All eight are scheduled to have preliminary hearings on Aug. 25.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
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