New Jersey Officer Under Investigation After Struggle with Jaywalker

An officer from the Millville Police Department (New Jersey) is under official review for an arrest carried out on Tuesday, June 27, wherein a man suspected of jay walking was struck several times in the head during an altercation with police.

Police confronted a man they saw jay walking in what officers described as high crime section of the town. The suspect, who dared to cross a street in a residential area, did not comply with police demands, officers say.

Naturally, the police escalated the situation into a violent confrontation.

“The officers are saying stop resisting, stop resisting,” Millville Police Chief Jody Farabella said. “With the use of force continuing, officers have to use force as much as necessary to affect the arrest. Our officers are trained here to never use the use of force as routine.”

However, video footage of the struggle was released soon after the incident wherein officers can be seen striking the suspect, Barry Cottman, who is shouting throughout the video but does not appear to offer substantial resistance beyond natural human reflexes:

Cottman’s mother, Cynthie Jackson, claims her son is a victim of police brutality.

“There was no need to stomp him like that,” Jackson said. “He has been arrested before in the past, and he has never resisted the Millville police.”

Cottman, who now faces charges including aggravated assault on a police officer and jay walking, was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the altercation, according to relatives.

The police department will examine the handling of the arrest by the officers involved, who have not been identified.

“Obviously, it’s going to be looked at,” Farabella said. “We have a professional standards unit. They are going to have to look and see if the use of force was justified in this case.”