Hattiesburg Police Department officers did not use unnecessary or excessive force in the Oct. 1 arrest of a man witnesses said was beaten by police, Chief David Wynn said Thursday. Tony Hinton, 34, was arrested after he failed to pull over for a traffic violation and led police on a chase that ended with him crashing his truck in a ditch Wynn said. Residents of the Columbia Street neighborhood gathered on the corner and watched the arrest take place, they said. They then notified the police department that they believed officers had used excessive force during the arrest, spawning an internal investigation by the department. The investigation included interviews with Hinton, the officers and witnesses, as well as a review of police cruiser video footage shot that night, Wynn said. Eyeywitness Mary Brown said, "they had this guy down in the dirt and they were hitting him with a flashlight. He was saying, 'Lord help me, help me.'" "He resisted arrest," Wynn said. "The video clearly shows that the officers utilized their training." Wynn said he will not release the video to the media because the department is worried about civil lawsuits. He said that the investigation is complete unless he gets new information. The Hattiesburg American has filed a Mississippi Public Records Act petition with the department to obtain copies of the video and police reports. Officials have 14 days to respond to the request. Neighbors who saw the incident said they didn't see Hinton resist arrest. "He didn't have time to put up a fight," said neighbor Barbara Hilton. "He was face-down in the ditch. " [more
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