CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Seth Wolf said he decided to record an arrest he and others witnessed on Thursday in Coral Springs because he believes the officers’ use of force was excessive and needed to be investigated.
The Coral Springs Police Department’s response was swift.
Hours later, the department released the officers' body camera video. Deputy Chief Bradley McKeone said he saw “an unfortunate situation” that could have been avoided if Nobles had complied with orders.
“I see officers using de-escalation as much as they can, at some point they have to do their jobs,” McKeone said.
The officers were responding to a report of domestic violence at the Sable Pointe Apartments on West Sample Road near Northwest 120th Street. They conducted a traffic stop and identified a suspect as Christopher Nobles.
The officers reported Nobles, 38, was not complying with verbal commands and attempted to strike one of the officers with an elbow. Wolf said that from his perspective the officers were the aggressors.
“You realize they were trying to push him and detain him when he wasn’t moving,” Wolf said. “He wasn’t resisting and that’s when you see him taking that blow with his knee straight into his back."
After watching Wolf’s video and the officers’ bodycam video, McKeone determined the officers did not violate the department’s policies or procedures during Nobles' arrest.
Nobles was at the Broward County Main Jail late Thursday night. He is facing charges of domestic violence battery with bodily harm, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer with violence and driving with a revoked driver’s license.