Bystander recording Jeffersontown police situation hit by officer and put in handcuffs; investigation underway

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville man filming a police situation he wasn't involved with ended up being hit by an officer and put in handcuffs.

Joseph Bennett was driving by the McDonald's off Blankenbaker Parkway in Jeffersontown on Tuesday when he noticed a large police situation.

"Given the current climate that we live in, I was inclined to pull over, to observe as a citizen," Bennett said. "That's what we should do."

Standing across the parking lot, Bennett decided to start a Facebook Live video.

"I even said, 'This is going to be the most boring live video ever,'" he said. "And to my horror, I found myself quickly involved."

After a few minutes Jeffersontown police officers approached Bennett. An officer asked for Bennett's ID and said it was because he was "filming a crime scene investigation" and Bennett was "involved." After Bennett refused to show his ID, stating he was simply filming in public, things escalated within seconds.

Bennett said he was hit by an officer and taken to the ground.

"When he asked for my ID and I said, 'I refuse,' you should have seen the look on his face," Bennett said. "Just anger as that fist is coming up, and he hits me with a left hook ... It blacked my entire eye top to bottom."

Bennett was handcuffed and cited for menacing and resisting arrest.

Lt. Col. Steve Schmidt, Jeffersontown Police's assistant chief, said there was a check fraud investigation at a bank across the street. Officers were detaining two people from Evansville, Indiana, and a person from Atlanta "in connection with a multi-state fraudulent check cashing scheme involving various Kentucky banks in several cities," Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf said in a statement Saturday.

According to Dieruf, at least one witness at the scene identified Bennett to officers as someone who was possibly involved, and that's why they approached.

Bennett was not involved, and Schmidt said he is not a suspect.

As of Saturday, Dieruf said Bennett has not filed a formal complaint, but an internal investigation into what happened is underway.

"I fully support this decision, as well as the investigation," Dieruf said in the statement. "Chief Sanders has assured me that all documents related to the internal investigation will be released upon its conclusion. I will be reaching out to Mr. Bennett in the very near future to assure him that we are taking this incident with all seriousness, and to restore faith in the City."

Bennett said some people have implied he should have just cooperated with the officers, but he feels he did nothing wrong.

"Some folks will say, 'Why don't you just show your ID?'" he said. "We have personal rights in this nation. I have personal rights against unfair searches and seizures."

Bennett said he did not pull over and start filming for attention and never imagined he would be in the position he is now. But he said he wants to use his voice to send a message about what happened.

"Civil servants need to remember their oath, to protect and to serve," he said. "What happened here is a minor of taste of when that fails to happen. That's not protecting. That's not serving."