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08/26/2024 04:52 PMEAST HAVEN
In a written statement released on Aug. 26, the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) said that a TikTok video featuring an altercation between one of its officers and the resident filming the incident is not fully representative of the situation.
On Aug. 25, an East Haven resident posted a 24-second video to TikTok under the username ‘audit.ehpd’ showing an incident involving Donato Palma, an East Haven police officer, taking place on Aug. 11. The clip shows Palma trying to communicate with the resident at the storm door of his house. Palma tells the resident to “talk like a gentleman” and “like a man.”
The resident tells Palma “you have to respect my rights and property,” to which Palma responds, “I do.”
“Listen, you’re on camera. I’m asking you to close the door,” said the resident. “If you don’t close it, then I have to go in the house.”
After pleading with the reluctant resident to talk with him, Palma is then seen extending his left arm to grab him, after which the resident retreats back into his house. The officer is seen inside the house, trying to physically curtail the escalation.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, why are you doing that?” said the resident to Palma, who tells him to “relax.”
The video was posted by the resident with a description reading, “I did not open the door or commit a crime. They damaged my screen on the window to the right trying to gain entry through the window. They then forced entry through the locked storm door after I told them to leave.”
The description continues, “I walked back to the storm door and ordered them once more to leave and that’s when the altercation transpired. I did not think in a million years they would actually reach into my house and grab me. I was papered and released from the hospital the next morning.”
However, EHPD Captain Joseph Murgo said that the post “does not provide the full context” of the situation and “appears to have been posted with the intent to misrepresent the incident.”
Murgo informed The Courier that the man who recorded and posted the video was “a suicidal male with self-inflicted wounds.”
Murgo said that Palma attempted to de-escalate the situation for “approximately one hour,” after which he “took the opportunity to take him into custody to prevent further harm when it was clear the subject was about to retreat back into the house.”
“In volatile situations like the one we faced on Aug. 11, split-second decisions are the determining factor between life and death,” Murgo added.
Murgo said that video of the incident was also captured on several EHPD body-worn cameras, the footage of which was reviewed by the department’s supervisor for use of force.
According to Murgo, “Officer Palma was found not to be in violation of any department policies,” following review.
Regarding the misleading nature of the video, Murgo said that, “While we understand and respect the importance of transparency, it’s crucial to have the complete context before making public posts about such incidents.”
“Due to the fact that this incident involved someone in crisis and per Connecticut state statute, no further comment will be made,” he said.