At least one Oklahoma City police officer is under investigation for conduct related to the Feb. 20 arrest of a man at Will Rogers World Airport who claimed he was with the CIA and had documents to share with presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, who was visiting in Oklahoma City that day.
Police used a Taser several times on James Jay Heidebrecht, 53, of Oklahoma City, after a scuffle broke out during his arrest on complaints of trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting officers, an incident report said.
After Heidebrecht refused to stand up, he was dragged through the airport to a police office, where he was given a medical exam before being taken to the Oklahoma County jail, according to the report.
Now the department is investigating whether the police involved in his arrest broke any laws.
Concerns about actions of officers involved in the arrest have led the department's office of professional standards to review the incident.
The investigative report will be forwarded to the district attorney to see if laws were broken, according to a news release issued by police Friday.
The review includes the manner in which Heidebrecht was removed during the arrest, the news release states.
The department is only naming one officer in the investigation so far, Capt. Dexter Nelson said via email Friday.
Sgt. Joseph McMahon, who arrived to find Heidebrecht had entered a secure area of the terminal, was the only officer named in the Friday news release.
According to a police report, Heidebrecht was at the airport's west security checkpoint about 9 p.m. Feb. 20 when someone reported a disturbance.
When an officer arrived, Heidebrecht told him he was waiting on a flight.
The officer told him where he could wait, but Heidebrecht tried to walk through the exit lane of the security checkpoint.
The officer escorted him out of the security area and told him to leave the airport or he would be arrested for trespassing, police said.
Heidebrecht then screamed at officers that he was there to meet Gingrich, who was visiting the city that day, and had documents for him, police said.
Footage released
In airport surveillance footage released Friday, a uniformed police officer shoves a man when he starts shouting at the officer.
The man can be heard yelling, "I'm with the CIA!" He then tells officers, "I'm the director of the CIA," before he is Tasered for the first time.
The video shows officers repeatedly telling him to get onto his stomach and put his hands behind his back, but an argument and struggle continue for several minutes.
The final 30 seconds of footage shows officers dragging the man face down across the floor and through a secured door, his hands cuffed behind him.
These portions of the incident are also outlined in the police report.
It says: "The AR (arrested) then stepped forward toward Sgt. McMahon, the AR was blowing spit and screaming.
"At that time Sgt. McMahon had to use his right arm to push the subject back off of him. Sgt. Price then advised the subject to put his arms behind his back and that he was under arrest.
"The subject refused and became combative again. At that time, for safety reasons, Sgt. McMahon deployed his Taser, which was effective and the AR went down."
"We asked AR several times and attempted to show him how to put his knee underneath him to get up. He refused, so AR was slid on the floor to the police office area."
According to the report, Heidebrecht was checked by paramedics and told authorities that he did not want to go to the hospital.
His car was impounded and he was booked into the Oklahoma County jail.
There is no record of Heidebrecht making contact with Gingrich.
Jail records show Heidebrecht was released on Feb. 21 and the four municipal counts against him were dismissed.
Copyright 2012 - The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
