Topeka police chief defends officer in use-of-force incident that happened at a Walmart
By: -----
Topeka, KS - Topeka’s police chief addressed a use-of-force incident Thursday after a cell phone video of the encounter spread on social media, saying the clip did not capture the full context and that he stands by the officer involved.
The incident occurred June 12 at the Topeka Walmart on Southeast California Avenue.
At Thursday’s press conference, the Topeka Police Department released two additional perspectives alongside the video posted to social media — one from the store’s security cameras and one from the officer’s body camera.
Police said an off-duty officer was working as security for the store when Walmart staff asked a man, seen in a white shirt in the footage, to leave. It’s unclear why he was asked to do so.
The video shows the officer approach the man, both unnamed, and ask him to leave. After the man refuses, the officer reaches for him and a scuffle ensues.
The subject then escaped the officer’s hold, at which point a Walmart employee wrapped his arms around the man. The officer then deployed pepper spray.
As the man began to walk out of the store, the officer pushed an approaching bystander to the floor. The man then walked across the parking lot and through a nearby carwash to California Avenue, where additional officers arrived and wrestled him to the ground to place him in handcuffs.
TPD Chief Chris Vallejo said an internal investigation determined the officer acted within department policy. The officer was not suspended during the investigation.
“When an officer acts professionally and within policy, I believe that officer deserves the full support of this department’s leadership,” Vallejo said. “Our officers should know this: if the facts show that they violated the law, or our policies, I will hold them accountable. But when the facts show they acted lawfully and professionally, they should also know that their chief will stand beside them.”
The man in the white shirt faces three charges, including criminal trespass, in connection with the incident.