Man accused of stealing Pokemon cards beaten by Westerville officer during arrest

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — Video captured Sunday night showed Westerville police officers beating and tasing a suspect in a theft involving Pokemon cards.

The incident began at 10:28 p.m. when an employee at the Meijer at 100 Polaris Parkway reported a theft in progress, according to a redacted Westerville Division of Police report. The suspect, 35-year-old Ernest Fields, was accused of bagging up $679.59 worth of Pokemon cards, trying to remove security tags on the products and ignoring a manager’s attempt to stop him from leaving the store.

Lancaster cereal factory to close down in 2024, leaving 200 jobs at risk

After exiting the Meijer, the manager told Westerville police that Fields got in the front passenger seat of a red Chevrolet Impala in the parking lot, according to the report. An officer whose name was redacted from the report then notified other responding police that he had found the suspect.

Officers identified by last names Williams and Mueller both wrote in their reports that as they arrived at the Meijer, Fields had gotten out of the car and was running from the unnamed officer. They also noted that cameras at the store recorded that Fields began fighting with the officer, “pushing him and attempting to take him down.”

Mueller noted that as he arrived at the scene, the officer had gotten on top of Fields and the suspect was “actively resisting” being placed in handcuffs. However, the video of the incident — captured by an off-duty employee of Nexstar Media Group, Inc., the parent company of NBC4 — begins in these moments and showed that officer repeatedly punched Fields in the head while Fields tried to cover himself with his hands.

WARNING: The following video contains footage that some may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

Fields was heard repeatedly shouting that he was “sorry” in the video. Other officers then arrived and assisted in pinning him. Mueller’s report said he ordered the suspect “several times … to place his hands behind his back, turn onto his stomach, and to stop resisting,” but noted Fields “continued actively resisting our attempts to secure his hands by pulling his arms under his body and trying to roll over.”

Winking Lizard Tavern to close Westerville location

The video showed that as the group asked him to roll over on his stomach, one officer got up and retrieved a taser from the ground. The officer was heard tasing Fields in the video, and the suspect could be heard yelling in pain.

Neither the unnamed officer punching Fields repeatedly in the head, nor another officer tasing the suspect — both captured on video — are mentioned in the unredacted portion of the Westerville police report. Instead, Mueller noted that he “was eventually able to gain control of the suspect’s right arm and hold it behind his back while Officer Sheumaker gained control of the suspect’s left arm and placed it behind his back.” Williams added that “Fields sustained injuries during his arrest and was transported to St. Ann’s Hospital for treatment.”

The officers said they retrieved the Pokemon cards, as well as suspected drugs, from the Impala. Williams and Mueller documented that they suffered scrapes or cuts on their hands, while the unnamed officer received a cut on his finger and swelling on his wrist during the arrest. Fields’ mugshot from the arrest showed he suffered a black eye, as well as other bruising and cuts to his face and head.

When will recreational marijuana be purchasable in Ohio?

Acting President of the Fraternal Order of Police Brian Steel said the video shows a snippet of the incident and all of the facts still need to come out.

“Westerville is one of the most professionally well-led departments in the Fraternal Order of Police,” he said. “We know that they will give this a thorough review. If there was wrongdoing and some kind of policy violation, the officer will be held accountable. Initially watching it, my training experience, it looks like a good arrest all day long.”

The organizing director of Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC) said it is disturbing how the video and the police report seem to differ.

“It’s really important that departments’ use of force policy be very public and that they hold themselves to that standard in a very public manner,” OFUPAC Organizing Director Cori Elaine Schleiffer said. “Our organization continually works on issues of transparency and accountability.”

GOP-led 2nd Amendment bill stalled in Ohio House for now

Fields was charged with felony assault after his arrest, according to Delaware County Common Pleas Court records. He was not facing any theft charges as of Monday afternoon. A separate case in Franklin County Common Pleas Court showed Fields had pleaded guilty to a May 2021 arson, but did not show up for his sentencing date. The last activity in the case record showed the court had issued a warrant for his arrest in November.

“I think one of the things that stands out to me in the narrative that the police are sharing is that there might have been substance use involved in this case, and everybody who works around behavioral health knows that care is always the number one and best response,” Schleiffer said. “Someone who’s going through withdrawal, someone who’s going through addiction, violence is never the answer for anyone.”

Steel said officers must be ready to use necessary force because they are never sure what situation they are going into.

Nicki Minaj announces 2024 concert in Columbus

“If you take an officer to the ground again, you are now taking them down for what reason?” he said. “You’re not fleeing. You’re actively assaulting, and that’s how people end up getting shocked.”

NBC4 reached out to Westerville police for comment, who said their chief was unavailable Monday and had yet to review the report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.