Caught On Body Cam: Alaska Cops Assault & Pepper Spray An Autistic Man!
Kodiak, AK – On Wednesday, September 16, 28-year-old Nicholas Pletnikoff was checking his mail when he was approached by Kodiak police Officers Phillip Christman, Kathleen Gambling and Sergeant Francis de la Fuente. The encounter resulted in an incident that many community members are calling a case of excessive force.
According to Police, the officers were responding to a report of a man breaking into cars when they approached the 28-year-old autistic man. As officer Christman noted in his report,
“On approached [sic], I yelled for the subject to stop or I would pepper spray him. I then saw it was Nicholas Pletnikoff, who I recognized from personal contacts, and put my pepper spray away and pulled my handcuffs out to try to detain him.â€
Instead of attempting to de-escalate the situation with a man, who the officer knew was mentally disabled, he proceeded to grab Pletnikoff when he didn’t answer their questions. Nicholas, most likely not fully understanding the situation due to his disability, exercised a natural human reaction by resisting his kidnapper. Unfortunately, when your would-be attackers wear a badge, there is always a guaranteed escalation of force.
Posted By Ghost