OU Police Department officers arrested a former OU student at Bedlam on Saturday who allegedly refused to comply while the officers were resolving safety concerns due to overcrowding in the stadium, according to an OUPD incident log.
The log stated that Ismail Garcia, who spoke with OU Daily in an interview, obstructed and then assaulted an officer. Garcia was allegedly intoxicated, resisted arrest and continued to be uncooperative with officers, according to the log.
Garcia was taken into custody and transported to Norman Regional Hospital, according to the log. After he was released, he was taken to the Cleveland County Detention Center, OUPD wrote in a statement to OU Daily.
OUPD wrote that officers were called to the east side of the stadium to assist with crowd control.
“Officers worked to clear the aisles and control the flow of fans entering the bowl at stadium ramps, ensuring fan safety,” OUPD wrote in the statement. “The defendant refused to leave the aisle, assaulted a non-OUPD officer, and resisted arrest. Once officers managed to place handcuffs on the defendant, he was brought to his feet and taken to be medically evaluated at the stadium, where he continued to resist.”
this man was not retaliating. 5 officers were on him and he was trying to get back to his seats at the game. definitely did not warrant this reaction. pic.twitter.com/bBj0Xn5fs5
— ABI WILLIAMS (@abiwilliams016) November 20, 2022
Garcia said he and his friend were returning from the bathroom when they were stopped by officers.
Garcia said an officer told the group trying to pass by there were no more seats in the stadium and they needed to leave. The officer allegedly began pushing people back, and Garcia said he was pushed in the chest and hit the concrete wall behind him.
“He began to grab me, and when he grabbed me, I put my arms in the air, and I said, ‘Do not touch me,’” Garcia said. “That’s when he grabbed my left arm, twisted it and tried to take me to the ground. I told him multiple times not to touch me. As he's getting me to the ground, he's calling for backup.”
Abi Williams, a journalism sophomore who witnessed the incident, said she and her friend were returning from the stadium bathrooms during the end of the second quarter when they witnessed the altercation between Garcia and the OUPD officer.
As more officers joined the scene, Williams said she and her friend went into the stands. Williams said she encouraged her friend to start recording the incident, which Williams later posted on Twitter. Williams said the video does not show the beginning of the altercation.
Garcia said he was handcuffed and taken to a small room in the stadium where he was treated by paramedics. He asked to be taken to the hospital, where an officer allegedly told him what he would be charged with and that he would be taken to the county jail after the hospital.
According to the log, Garcia was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, obstructing an officer and public intoxication.
“I was processed (at the jail), and I saw the nurse right away, and I told her my whole body was severely in pain,” Garcia said. “She said, ‘Okay, I'll see what I can do.’ From there, they processed me, and they switched me into the jail clothes, and they stuck me in holding.”
Garcia said he suffered multiple injuries, including bruises and abrasions across his body, bruised ribs and a concussion. He also said his wrists were badly injured and are currently in casts.
Garcia wrote in a message to OU Daily that he drank about half a beer he bought at the stadium and his mind was not impaired. He also wrote he didn’t receive a Breathalyzer test and his blood was not drawn. Garcia said he bonded out of jail at 6 a.m. Sunday.
OUPD wrote in another statement to OU Daily that the officers are under a use of force review, a standard procedure when force is used. At this time, there is no other ongoing investigation. OUPD defined force as “the application of physical techniques or tactics, chemical agents, or weapons to another person.”
Garcia said, as a Black, Hispanic man, he is not surprised by the alleged actions of the OUPD officers.
“I've been a resident of Norman for almost four years now, and … the culture here is just horrible,” Garcia said.
OU Daily has requested body camera footage and an incident report from the OU Open Records Office. OU Daily will update this article with additional information as it becomes available.
