ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -
Eric Hightower, the man kicked and punched by St. Paul police in a YouTube video, is being held in connection with a domestic disturbance at a motel early Monday morning.
According to the police report, officers were called to the Highway Motel at 2152 W. 7th Street at 1:48 a.m. Monday on a complaint of a fight in a motel room. As the two responding officers arrived at the motel, they could hear a woman's voice yelling "stop."
When officers knocked on the door, a man jumped out of a second story window in the back of the room. The man was taken to the hospital with a leg injury, and was not arrested at the time of the incident.
The police report says it appears the man jumped out of the window due to an active order for protection.
Hightower was not named in the police report, but St. Paul police confirm he is being held in connection with the case.
FBI investigators are working to determine whether 30-year-old Eric Hightower's civil rights were violated during his previous arrest that was caught on video. Two St. Paul officers have been placed on paid leave while the internal investigation continues.
Hightower was charged with stalking, terroristic threats, and damaging property following that arrest.
The five-minute YouTube video begins with Hightower lying on the ground, asking St. Paul Police Officer Jesse Zilge why he is being arrested. For the next 30 seconds, Hightower repeatedly asks what is going on.
Shortly thereafter, a voice behind the camera accuses the officer of using mace and a Taser on the Hightower without provocation After about a minute, Hightower starts coughing, presumably from the mace. That's when Zilge can be seen kicking Hightower before putting him in handcuffs.
ST. PAUL POLICE FEDERATION STATEMENT
Dave Titus, president of the St. Paul Police Federation, released the following statement regarding Monday morning's incident involving Eric Hightower"
Early this morning the Saint Paul Police Department responded to a call at the Highway Motel regarding a fight. Officers arrived on the scene a few minutes later. When officers arrived they heard a female yelling to stop and a suspect jumped out of the second floor window. The suspect sustained injuries in his apparent attempt to evade the police and was transported to Regions Hospital. The suspect, Eric Hightower, is a known dangerous individual with a history of violence, resisting and evading arrest.
Clearly this is an individual with no regard for the safety of himself, his victims, other citizens or Saint Paul Police Officers. Mr. Hightower is a known violent individual that Saint Paul Police Officers have interacted with numerous times. This was the third incident in 4 months that has resulted in the arrest of Hightower. In each case, he attempted to use his surroundings to evade or resist arrest. Including attempts to incite other individuals to resist or attempting to flee with complete disregard for the safety of himself and others. His complete disregard for authority and dangerous behavior is well known to many Saint Paul Police Officers, including Officer Zilge who arrested of Hightower on August 28th, 2012.
As the August 28th investigation of the arrest of Hightower continues, we encourage the community and its leaders to pause and let the facts emerge before rushing to judgment. Once this process is complete, we believe the facts will show that good cops were in a dangerous situation with a known dangerous individual. Members of the Saint Paul Police Federation take pride in keeping our City safe.
