MARION COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) A viral video shows police officers punch a suspect several times while trying to arrest him in a Walmart parking lot in Lawrence, Indiana. A police report claims the man instigated the violence by punching officers before bystanders started recording.

William Jerome Armstrong was arrested Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart after police say they saw his car parked in an emergency fire lane.

The police report states the situation turned aggressive, and Armstrong now faces several felony charges, including battery of a police officer, resisting law enforcement and intimidation of a police officer.

A viral video with over 100,000 views on Facebook captured a portion of the arrest. Lawrence Police have since acknowledged the video and are asking the public to come forward with any information.

Below is a review of the video and claims of what happened from both Lawrence police and Armstrong’s family. A statement from the police can be found at the bottom of the article.

What the video shows

The 33-second video, captioned “Dammm,” appears to be taken from inside a car by an uninvolved bystander. It begins by showing a white Ford Explorer parked in the emergency fire lane of a Walmart with two police vehicles parked behind the car.

The video then zooms in to show a woman being pulled away from the scene by a uniformed police officer. Once the woman is moved out of the way, the video reveals two police officers on top of a man who is lying on the ground.

The two officers appear to be struggling with the man in an attempt to handcuff him. One officer can be seen winding back and throwing at least four punches toward the man’s face. The officer who threw the punches then adjusts the man’s position on the ground while the second officer appears to step on the man.

The man on the ground appears to move his arms up toward his face before lying then on the concrete, but it does appear he is constantly moving his arms and not complying with what officers are asking.

A second video, taken by bystander Brittny Glass and posted to Facebook, also shows more of what happened from a different angle. Glass’ video shows the backup officer kicking Armstrong as he was on the ground.

The same officer seen punching the man earlier in the video is then seen throwing at least three more punches toward the upper body of the man on the ground. The video then zooms out and ends once the man on the ground puts his hands behind his back while lying on his stomach.

affiliate WXIN has reached out to the original Facebook user who posted the video, which has been reposted many times, to clarify the origin of the video and obtain a copy.

What police say happened

Court documents filed Wednesday morning in Indiana’s Marion County court detail the police’s account of what happened leading up to and during the viral arrest.

An officer with the Lawrence Police Department said he was patrolling the area near the Walmart on Tuesday afternoon when he saw a white Ford Explorer illegally parked in the emergency fire lane. The officer then drove by the car and noticed a man inside.

The officer said he then pulled behind the Explorer in his police cruiser and parked. Police allege the man inside the car then “immediately” and “aggressively” approached the officer with his hand balled up into a fist. The man allegedly asked the officer if he “had a problem.”

LPD said the officer then called dispatch to send backup, given the man’s “aggressive” state. The officer then reportedly told the man later identified as Armstrong not o “run up on” police. The man reportedly became “hostile and argumentative” after hearing this.

The officer said he then made the man stand behind his car because he feared Armstrong might go back into the Ford to retrieve a gun. Police say a black AR-style rifle was later found in the rear passenger seat of the Explorer.

Police claim that Armstrong refused to identify himself and told the officer to “f–k off.” The police report also claims that at one point, the officer felt trapped inside his squad car because of Armstrong’s aggressive manner.

Once backup officers arrived, they decided to detain Armstrong for the traffic violation and to “maintain officer safety.” Officers say Armstrong refused when asked to turn around and put his hands behind his back.

Armstrong then reportedly “snatched” his hands away from officers and began “fighting and resisting.” During this time, police claim Armstrong punched two officers in the face and grappled with them. While they were “tussling,” police allege Armstrong used a “hip toss” to throw an officer to the ground.

After this, the backup officer said he deployed his department-issued stun gun but was unsuccessful due to Armstrong’s thick layer of clothes. Police then again attempted to stun Armstrong and were somewhat effective.

Police said the original responding officer continued to wrestle with Armstrong. The police report states the officer “administered several closed fist punch strikes” to Armstrong’s head and upper torso. This appears to be the portion of the arrest that was caught on bystander video.

In line with the video, the police report says the altercation ended after the officer threw several punches and Armstrong “finally gave up” by putting his hands on his back. This is the point where the viral video apparently ends.

What Armstrong’s family says happened

Armstrong’s sister Kayla said in an email to WXIN that she is outraged over the “violent and unnecessary” actions taken by the Lawrence police officers. Her message reads:

“On February 18th, 2025, William was waiting in a fire truck parking spot outside the Walmart Supercenter on Pendleton Pike for my 16-year-old sister, as his cellphone service was shut off and he had no other way to contact her. When my sister exited the store, an officer suddenly sucker-punched my brother without provocation, escalating into an excessive use of force. The officers proceeded to stomp, punch, and tase him while he was being handcuffed and arrested.

This level of force was entirely unjustified, and I am demanding accountability for the officers involved. I urge an immediate investigation into this matter and expect appropriate disciplinary action to be taken. No one should be subjected to such brutality, especially under circumstances that did not warrant any form of aggression.“

Armstrong’s father, Charles Mason, also reached out to WXIN with further claims against the officers. Mason claimed Armstrong was “attacked” by two LPD officers for parking in the fire lane.

Mason also said that his 16-year-old daughter, who was shown at the beginning of the viral video interacting with police, was “ganged up on by the male officer.”

Arrest, threat allegations

Police wrote that, after the video ended, Armstrong was then handcuffed and detained. An EMS crew was also reportedly called to the scene to check out Armstrong’s injuries and provide medical treatment to one of the officers.

During this time, police allege Armstrong began threatening officers with death.

“[Armstrong] made numerous threat statements to officers about getting out of jail, shooting and killing all the cops on scene,” court docs state. “[He] also threatened numerous times to get together a group of people he knows and find all the officers and shoot and kill them.”

Armstrong was then taken to the Marion County CJC and booked on the following charges:

• Battery Against Law Enforcement Officer with Injury
• Battery Against Law Enforcement
• Resisting Law Enforcement
• Resisting Law Enforcement with Injury
• Intimidation on a Law Enforcement Officer
  • Eight counts

Police also searched Armstrong’s car before it was towed and reportedly found a black CZ Scorpion 9 x 19mm AR-style rifle. LPD said the gun was taken into evidence, which is the last information included in the police report.

LPD said multiple times throughout the report that body-worn cameras were being worn by the officers involved and said that the footage is available. WXIN has made multiple requests to access said footage and has not heard back as of this article’s publication.

Lawrence Police, mayor’s statements

The Lawrence Police Department sent out the following statement about the incident on Wednesday afternoon:

“The City of Lawrence Police Department is aware of a recent video circulating on social media depicting an interaction between a law enforcement officer and a civilian. We understand the concerns raised by members of the community and want to assure the public that this matter is being taken seriously.

The incident in question is currently under investigation by the department’s Internal Affairs Division in accordance with agency protocols.  The goal of this investigation is to conduct a thorough and impartial review of the circumstances surrounding the event to determine whether departmental policies and procedures were followed...

…As this is an active investigation, we ask for the public’s patience while all relevant evidence, including body-worn camera footage, witness statements, and officer reports, is thoroughly examined. In the interest of transparency, we will provide updates as they become available and as allowed under the law.

We encourage anyone with additional information related to this incident to come forward and cooperate with the investigation. The community’s trust is of utmost importance, and we remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.”

Police Chief Curtis Bigsbee also said the department is committed to “a fair and objective review of the incident” and that appropriate action will be taken “based on the findings.”

In a statement, Lawrence Mayor Deb Whitfield confirmed one of the officers involved has been placed on administrative leave. Whitfield added that the Lawrence Police Internal Affairs Department is currently reviewing all body camera footage and witness testimony.