ELYRIA, Ohio — Videos circulating of an arrest after the Elyria Juneteenth Festival are sparking outrage. While the situation is under official review, some are accusing responding officers of excessive force on a teenage girl.
News 5 viewers shared several videos from Ely Square as the Juneteenth Festival was packing up on Saturday. One video shows what witnesses said was the Elyria Police bike patrol responding to a group of teenagers arguing with several adults.
An event organizer tells News 5 he doesn’t believe the teens were in attendance at the official event, but showed up after the festival ended. He said a disagreement appeared to happen when several people took issue with the teens’ profane language.
Videos show uniformed officers talking with individuals as tensions appear to rise. At one point, officers take a teenage girl to the ground.
At that point, several officers appear to be attempting to put handcuffs on the teen when another officer kneels on the girl.
In a post on the Elyria Black Legacy Connection Facebook page, the event organizer called the maneuver “triggering.”
“It kind of angered me to see the police put a knee on this young lady’s neck, especially what we saw after George Floyd some years back,” said Alex Bodiford, an attorney who is representing at least one individual involved in the situation.
As of Monday evening, Elyria Police have not released official reports or body-worn camera footage of what happened before, during or after the incident.
Police confirm two minors and two adults have been charged in connection with the incident.
Bodiford said he saw the chaos happening via FaceTime.
“Someone who was there, actually on the scene, called me as it was unfolding,” he said.
He said he’s been in contact with the family of the 15-year-old girl who was restrained in the videos.
“The thing that was most concerning for me was the knee on the back of the neck. And I’m sure the family wants answers. And when everything comes out, I’m sure they’re going to be asking for accountability as well,” Bodiford said.
The Akron-based attorney is representing one man who was arrested and is facing a felony assault on a peace officer charge and a misdemeanor obstructing official business charge.
“He felt the officer’s actions were a little excessive and so he acted on that. I think that kind of speaks to what kind of guy he is. Obviously, he put himself in trouble trying to help someone,” he said of his client.
According to court documents, a second adult was also charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. She’s scheduled to appear in court on June 24.
News 5 contacted use-of-force experts to analyze the videos we received.
Tim Dimoff, a law enforcement and security expert, said he had a similar reaction to others when he first reviewed the clips.
“At first, it looks instantly like the officer was pressing his knee cap or knee area against the subject’s neck area,” Dimoff said.
After further review, he said it appeared the officer was following proper training.
“Then I looked at it again to clarify what I thought I saw. And I could clearly see the pressure was not on the neck or the back of the head,” he said. “The subject on the ground was able to lift their head and turn their head, and that really supported how much pressure and whether the pressure was placed incorrectly or the wrong spot or the correct spot and properly.”
Dimoff said body-worn camera footage would likely give a better depiction of the placement of the officer’s knee, but he was reasonably confident the teen was not in a dangerous position.
On Monday, Elyria Police Chief James Welsh said he was personally reviewing the case.
He released the following statement about the incident:
“The Elyria Police Department is aware of the public interest and the videos circulating on social media regarding arrests made by officers in Ely Square, 410 Broad St. on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
As Chief of Police, I understand that any incident involving the use of force by police officers raises important questions within our community. The Elyria Police Department is committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining the public's trust.
The arrests made during this incident were based upon information available to officers at the scene and remain under review through the criminal justice process. Additionally, as with any use of force by our personnel, the actions of our officers will be thoroughly reviewed in accordance with department policy and established procedures.
I have personally begun reviewing the available information, including body-worn camera footage, reports, and other evidence related to this incident. While it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions before that review is complete, I can assure the community that we hold our officers to the highest professional standards and will carefully examine all aspects of these events.
The videos currently circulating online capture only portions of the incident. Body-worn camera footage and other evidence often provide additional context that is not immediately visible in short video clips. The department intends to release additional information, including body-worn camera footage when legally and procedurally appropriate to do so.
We ask the public to allow investigators the opportunity to complete a thorough review before reaching conclusions. Our commitment is to provide accurate information, maintain transparency, and ensure accountability while respecting the integrity of the investigative process.
At this time, it is my understanding that no serious injuries were reported as a result of this incident.”
The event organizer with Elyria Black Legacy Connection also released the following statement:
“While packing up from the Juneteenth celebration that occurred earlier, there was an incident with a group of teenagers, which evolved into the Elyria police department being engaged.
During the engagement with one of the female teenagers, a tactic, that is extremely triggering to the public was used. That caused a extremely high level of concern and reaction from the crowd that was witnessing the attempted arrest that taking place.
We stand with justice with facts, that everyone involved was on the same side of intent. The one tactic use has a burning history in our nation that needs a clear understanding on what falls under aggressive force?? Many of us see it as aggressive others do not.
Conversations are warranted for accountability currently and the future. An added parallel conversations are needed for prevention.
Current realities are many from the Black community do not feel, we're engaged with law enforcement the same way as other communities. Trust and fairness has always been an issue.
There's also a responsibility on the community to protect our children at all costs. Proactive vs reactive.
We are committed to coming together with officials and leaders with the goals that incidents like this past one, are handled a way that we all can agree on.
It was a disheartening incident that happened after the Juneteenth event was over. Part of our journeys and legacies are to face issues that have been ongoing for far to long. It will never go away if we don't have serious dialogs with corrective actions.
Our community isn't perfect, but we'll react to what we feel that is not perfect. We pray for anyone that who witnessed and or was involved. There's work that needs to be done.”
Bodiford said he’s reserving judgment until all facts are known in the case and he can view body-worn camera footage himself. But he believes the situation could have been de-escalated in a better way.
“Especially with three or four officers around her, this was a 15-year-old young lady, I think they could’ve done that without… the knee on the neck,” he said. “We’re just hoping that this situation can be avoided. We hope that it won’t happen to [anyone] else. We’re just hoping we can have some accountability, perhaps a policy change.”
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
