Exclusive: Facebook video shows violent incident on A46 near Newark that led to police officer being removed from front-line duty
A man has described how an incident captured on video left him fearing for his life in the same way as American George Floyd must have done.
The video posted online shows a police officer punching Shane Price, stamping on his injured foot and throwing him to the ground on the A46 near Newark.
During Wednesday's incident, Shane can be heard politely addressing the officer before he is grabbed by the throat, repeatedly asking 'what are you doing? What are you doing?.
Shane can also be heard pleading with the officer not to hurt him because he has a chainsaw injury to his foot. He kicks his shoe off so the officer can see the stitches, but the officer stamps on his foot before he pins him to the ground.
The officer can be heard on the video, which was filmed by Shane's wife, Sherry, from inside their van, calling for assistance over a two-way radio.
Shane, a Traveller, told the Advertiser he feared for his life and could only think of American George Floyd — who died at the hands of a US police officer — as he said he was also unable to breathe while pinned to the floor.
"I was driving down the A46 towards Lincoln to get some food with my wife. As I've put my indicator on he's come flying behind me and when he got beside me, he took a photo," Shane claimed.
"Obviously I was concerned about the photo of my wife and I and him using his phone while driving. I flashed him and once I did, he pulled over. I asked him why he was taking photos and using his phone.
"I told it him was illegal and that he wouldn't have had full concentration on the road and could have crashed into anything.
"He then grabbed me by the arm and the back of my neck and pushed me towards the fence. I started to get panicky and scared, I was worried about my wife — I didn't know what was going on and this gentleman started physical contact with me.
"He never told me he was a police officer or part of the law. To my imagination, he looked like a security guard. He should know the law through being the law. Judge, jury and executioner — he can't be all three.
"I asked him to take his hand off my throat saying I couldn't breathe, I repeatedly asked him that and he carried on.
"At no point did I cause him a threat but he then punched me in the face — and you've got to understand the height different between me and that gentleman.
Shots of the video show Shane Price being accosted by a Lincolnshire Police officer. (47672868)
"My wife is very petite so she couldn't get out of the van and say anything, he may have hit her.
"With my chainsaw injury on my foot, which I got during tree surgery, I explained him he was hurting it. I took my shoe off and showed him but then he punched me in the face and decided to wrestle me.
Shots of the video show Shane Price being accosted by a Lincolnshire Police officer. (47672865)
"He brutally abused me. I was too scared to punch back, I'll be honest with you — I was scared for my life.
"He then decides to trample on my foot, as you can see on the video, and that's when I went over. He then tried to hold me by the throat and, again, I was saying 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe'.
Shots of the video show Shane Price being accosted by a Lincolnshire Police officer. (47672859)
"All that was going through my head was 'this gentleman is going to kill me'.
"I'm on the side of the motorway with just my wife and this huge gentleman has at no point told me he's an officer and just brutally beat me.
"He told me 'if you move, I'm gonna hurt you'.
"People have to understand, Gypsy and Traveller lives matter as well."
With Shane prone on the ground, the officer gets off of him, goes to his own vehicle and returns with a pair of handcuffs, which is when the video cuts out.
Shane, 20, of Newark, and a tree surgeon, told the Advertiser the assistance call by the officer appeared to have been answered by Lincolnshire Police.
A police car arrived, Shane was arrested and taken to Lincoln City Centre Police Station where he was held for several hours before being released under investigation.
The officer, who appeared to be wearing a police uniform with a bomber jacket over the top, was allowed to go on his way from the scene of the incident.
Shane said the officer was called to the police station to give a statement after the fact.
A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: "At around 9.20pm on Wednesday, May 26, a man in his 20s was arrested just off the A46, near Aubourn.
“He was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife blade or sharply pointed article; and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. He has been released under investigation.
“Following this incident, an officer has been removed from normal duties while a review and investigation takes place by our Professional Standards Department.
“We will not be commenting further while this investigation takes place.”
With regards to the possession of a bladed article, Shane said he was on the way to collect food straight from work in his tree surgery van, and that most of his kit is bladed.
