Grand Rapids police chief defends officers after viral video shows armed man, urges ‘comply now, complain later’

Grand Rapids Police Chief addressed a viral video at a press conference in Grand Rapids, saying officers de-escalated a potentially deadly incident in which a man carrying an AR-15 and a 9 mm handgun voluntarily complied after officers gave repeated orders and that several bystanders who moved into the line of fire interfered with officers’ work.

The chief said the department is treating gun violence on the city’s southeast side as a top priority after “a couple rough days where we had 2 individuals shot and killed, including, 30 year old man and a a 15 year old girl,” and framed the viral footage as one moment in that larger context.

The video shows an individual entering a business, then leaving with an AR-15 slung around his neck and a handgun on his hip; officers set a perimeter and used de-escalation, the chief said. He described three other adults who “inserted themselves” behind the armed person and “placed themselves and everyone else in more danger,” and said officers ultimately used a Taser on the person who resisted arrest.

Why it matters: the clip prompted public…