South Bend Police release partial body-cam video after online clip shows use of force arrest
By: South Bend, IN - South Bend Police have released a portion of body-camera footage in response to a widely circulated online video showing officers detaining a vehicle pursuit suspect Thursday night.
The department said it received numerous inquiries from residents asking whether the suspect had been handcuffed during the incident as portrayed in the social media clip.
Police typically do not release body-camera footage involving active criminal cases, but officials said the decision was made “to maintain transparency and to dispel some narratives” circulating online.
According to police, officers first spotted the suspect’s vehicle around 6 p.m. Thursday, near Lincoln Way West and College Street. The same vehicle had fled a traffic stop the previous night. When officers attempted another stop, the driver fled, leading to a short pursuit that ended when the suspect struck a parked vehicle near LaSalle Avenue and Sycamore Street.
Police say the driver refused orders to exit the vehicle and physically resisted officers’ attempts to detain him, preventing them from placing handcuffs. The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Luis Hernandez-Lopez, was ultimately taken into custody and transported to a hospital for evaluation due to the crash. After clearance, he was booked into the St. Joseph County Jail.
On Friday, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office charged Hernandez-Lopez with one count of Resisting Law Enforcement, a Level 6 felony, and another misdemeanor count of the same offense. Police also noted he had an active warrant at the time of his arrest.