Arrest of Chevy Chase Man Sparks Use of Force Review

The arrest of an allegedly disorderly 19-year-old Chevy Chase man has sparked an investigation by the Baltimore County Police Department into its use of force policies.

Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson reportedly said he was concerned about the officer’s use of a closed fist to punch the teen in the face several times in front of The Greene Turtle in Towson over the weekend.

Zachary Carson Blumenstein, 19, of the 8400 block Ellingson Drive in Chevy Chase, was charged with disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, resisting and interfering with arrest, failure to obey a lawful order and trespassing on Saturday, Dec. 19, court records show.

A bystander posted a cell phone video on YouTube showing three officers trying to take Blumenstein into custody, including one who repeatedly punched the teen as he resisted arrest at approximately 2 a.m., according to police.

The arrest occurred approximately 40 minutes after an officer initially made contact with Blumenstein, police said.

At 1:20 a.m. an officer approached Blumenstein regarding a verbal disturbance in front of The Greene Turtle in the 400 block of York Road in Towson, where five civilian men were trying to restrain the teen, police reported.

When the officer ordered Blumenstein to leave the establishment, Blumenstein continued yelling profanities and the five individuals moved him, according to the report.

Officers next approached Blumenstein at 2 a.m. upon seeing him push a man into the 400 block of York Road, police reported.

When Blumenstein allegedly resisted arrest, the officer ordered him to stop; and when Blumenstein still refused, another officer arrived and pepper spray was used, police said.

As the Baltimore County Police Department reviews the use of force in the arrest, it issued the following statement:

“BCoPD takes the use of force seriously and will review this incident for compliance with use of force training, Chief Jim Johnson said. Use of force training requires officers to use the least amount of force needed to bring a situation under control and to escalate the use of force based on circumstances. Johnson said that while it appears that the officer did escalate the use of force as required by BCoPD policy, he is concerned about the officer’s use of a closed fist to strike the suspect several times. Johnson said he will look closely at the entire incident to evaluate this specific use of force. He said his initial reaction is that other techniques for achieving restraint and compliance could have been more effective at that moment in the altercation.”

In February 2014, a Baltimore County auxiliary officer’s conduct was also reviewed after he screamed at a videographer that he did not have the constitutional right to free speech, in an incident that occurred in the same stretch of York Road in Towson; police said the auxiliary officer lost his arrest powers as a result of the review.

• Video Captures Baltimore County Police Threatening Videographer
• Baltimore County Officer Loses Arrest Powers After Threatening Student: Police

Still shot from YouTube video/Fight Street MMA.