JPD requests outside investigation, officer put on administrative leave after violent arrest
- Mark Sabbatini
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Man filming arrest defends officer and says intent was showing racist actions of suspects; relative of injured man says he "isn’t quite out of the woods yet"
A Juneau Police Department officer has been placed on administrative leave and an external investigation requested following the violent arrest of a man who sustained a head injury that resulted in his being flown to an Anchorage hospital, officials said Friday.
The arrest was part of a racially motivated incident involving three people in front of the Douglas Public Library on Thursday evening, according to statements issued by JPD and Juneau City Manager Katie Koester. A woman was observed yelling slurs at a 52-year-old man, and the injury occurred to a 49-year-old man who acted aggressively toward an officer when ordered to refrain from intervening on the woman’s behalf.
"(He) was arrested using a technique designed to control the situation by bringing the suspect to the ground," Koester wrote. "However, this action went terribly wrong and resulted in the suspect hitting his head on the concrete sidewalk, requiring medical attention and transport out of Juneau."
The injured man is conscious, but being kept at an Anchorage hospital as of Friday evening, said Elizabeth Marin, a cousin of his, in an interview Friday.
"The last that we heard he isn't quite out of the woods yet, but he is awake so they have him under observation still because they’re worried about possible complications," she said.
The incident also resulted in the arrest of the woman, Marisa Didrickson, 47. A video of her being detained and then the 49-year-old man being thrown to the ground by a JPD officer has circulated widely on social media.
The 82-second video was filmed by Ibn Bailey, who said in an interview Friday he shared the footage to show the racial attacks toward him by the two people arrested rather than the actions of the officer who threw the man to the ground.
"I guess my intent was to bring attention to an ongoing systemic issue that the black population of Juneau is facing while we're having all of these other concerns with our country," he said.
When asked about the response focusing largely on the officer’s actions, Bailey said "I think we're seeing what we're seeing across the country is where people can see a minute-and-a-half video and immediately come to a conclusion from that without having a visceral reaction, a response to a situation or to what they're seeing."
"It was very surprising to see the type of responses and the people that were responding to that, (who) knew this individual personally, that claimed kinship to this person, and they responded to that."
Marin said she isn’t familiar with the entire incident, but the officer’s actions while her cousin was being detained appear excessive.
"From what I saw at the moment in the video (he) was not resisting arrest, and the actions the officer took was above and beyond abusive," she said.
A protest about the JPD’s actions in the incident is scheduled at 1 p.m. Saturday at the department’s headquarters in Lemon Creek.
"CBJ understands the deep community concern over this tragic injury," Koester wrote. "We recognize that the incident and associated video footage may be deeply upsetting, confusing, and overwhelming and encourage residents to utilize the support services available through local resources."
A statement expressing concern about the officer’s actions was issued Friday by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, which stated the injured man is a tribal citizen.
"Based on what has been shared by witnesses and community members, the level of force used during the arrest raises serious questions and demands a full, transparent investigation," the tribe’s statement notes.
Tribal officials said they are asking JPD Chief Derek Bos and Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon for an independent review of the incident, a meeting with tribal leadership, "transparency in findings and outcomes," and "a renewed commitment to culturally respectful public safety."
"This is not just about one incident — it’s about the responsibility we all share to ensure justice, dignity, and safety for every person in our community, especially those who have historically been targeted or mistreated," the statement adds.
Bailey said one area of agreement he has with the tribe’s statement is the need to discuss concerns among the various perspectives and groups in the community.
"I hope that this opportunity for this discussion that Central Council and President Peterson is calling for (with) the Assembly and for tribal leaders, that we also can be included in that discussion as well," he said.
"I believe that when it comes down to it, we want to have a safe place. We want to live in a beautiful place. We want to have a place that's safe for our children, for our families, for our older people. We want to have quality fire and rescue and police departments. We want to have an effective city government. But we have some issues that need to be discussed, that we need to see where we can improve and help one another, and what we can do to help each other to improve in these areas that we definitely need improvement on."
JPD requested an outside law enforcement agency — not specified — "to lead an investigation into the officer’s use of force in this incident," according to the department’s statement Friday.
"Once the agency concludes its investigation, the State of Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions will review the case to determine whether the use of force was consistent," the statement adds.
Deputy Police Chief Krag Campbell, in an email to the Independent on Friday, stated JPD requested the outside investigation "based on the potential seriousness of the man’s injuries."
"We believe this allows for full transparency for the community," he wrote.
Body camera footage will be publicly available within 30 days of the incident under a policy recently adopted by the Juneau Assembly.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
