The local buzz turns out to be true. Officers Bryant and Webley were involved in an arrest which resulted in the suspect being placed on a ventilator with a broken neck. The injuries are life threatening and the incident is under investigation but the officers involved we remain on duty.
The District Attorney’s Major Crime Team includes officers from the Coos Bay, North Bend and Myrtle Point police; the Coquille Tribal Police; Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; an Oregon State Police trooper; and a county deputy, Frasier said.
Webley and Bryant remain on duty during the investigation, Reeves said. Frasier said the decision to place officers on leave during this type of incident is up to the individual agency.
Reeves said he believes the investigation will clear the officers of any wrongdoing in the incident.
“It was a horrible accident,†he said.
Officer Bryant was also named in a lawsuit against the City of Coquille alleging unfair police practices filed by attorney Manuel Hernandez. That case did not survive summary judgment but is under appeal and is expected to be reinstated. The decision to keep the officers on duty pending the investigation is left to the judgment of local police chief Mike Reaves.
