Oakland officers ‘dump’ homeless man at strip mall after ripping out his braids in fight: new video

Oakland police officers “dumped” a homeless man at a strip mall in December 2024 after they couldn’t figure out what to do with him, according to newly unearthed video.

An internal affairs officer with San Leandro Police Internal Affairs discovered the video after reviewing old body camera footage. The officer, Sgt. Mike Olivera, has filed a nine-page complaint with the city after he viewed the horrifying footage.

The footage shows officers tangling with 33-year-old Shaquille Coleman, who was homeless, after he refused to leave a shopping area. Coleman is seen wearing a chain that says, “King,” and wore his hair in braids.

Coleman refused to identify himself when asked by officers.

“I’m asking you, who are you? It’s a lawful order, I’m asking you,” San Leandro Police Officer Suzanne Man asked him.

He responded:  “I’m a person who’s been around here, here, here and here.”

Mann then asks him if he is going to be difficult.

“It was no problem,” he responded.

Two officers attempt to restrain him, but require a third officer so they could search him.

The third officer, Ismael Navarro, urges him to put his hands behind his back. Coleman is seen in the footage wiggling and resisting officers’ efforts to put him in their car. At one point, Navarro is seen reaching over the back seat of the car and grabbing Coleman’s braids to pull him into the car.

Coleman exclaims, “Why would you pull my hair?”

After an officer pointed a taser at his chest, Coleman complied and officers were able to close the door of the police car.

The officers then contemplated what to do with him, given they had not accused him of a crime.

Mann debates putting Coleman in a psychiatric hold, but decides she doesn’t have the evidence sufficient to do so. A person must be deemed a danger to themselves or others for such a hold.

“Well, shoot, actually, they’re saying he didn’t do anything?” Mann said.

She then decides on another avenue to deal with Coleman.

 “We’re going to go way north and then dump him and then we’re going to go back to them,” Mann says.

Navarro replies, “All right, wherever you think is appropriate. I’ll follow you.”

Mann tells her supervisor Lieutenant Antwinette Turner of her plan. She determines that she will drop him off away from a BART station so the man is unable to come back. Turner approves her plan.

The officers take the man to a gas station off MacArthur Boulevard, seven miles away.

In the footage they’re seen dropping off the man, and Navarro even gives him back his braids.

Mann then tells Coleman to “take off, man,” and the footage ends.

The video has drawn concerns about the officers’ conduct, especially of the supervisor, Turner.

“You can’t in the 21st century go to a scene as a boss and not do anything,” former SFPD commander and police practices expert Rich Corriea told ABC 7. “If there’s some support, some action, you need to take some advice, some guidance. You’re not there as a passive observer. You’re there to add value.”

San Leandro Chief Angela Averiett has since launched a third-party investigation, which found “certain personnel violated department policies” and have received corrective action, of the incident.

It’s unclear what corrective action the officers received. Turner has since left San Leandro to be the deputy chief in charge of the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau with the BART Police Department.

Olivera’s legal team has suggested he’s faced retaliation in the year since he first reported the incident.

“He feels like the result has been that he’s been shunned,” Mike Rains, Olivera’s attorney, told ABC 7. “He’s been discriminated against. He’s been retaliated against, and the treatment he’s received within this administration.”

Olivera’s attorney believes the incident should have been handled differently.

“When you apply force to people, you handcuff them, and that happens, you have to make sure you’re making a record of it. And the best record you can make is you take him into custody. You tell them they’re under arrest, you write a report, you let the DA sort it out,” he said.

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