WATCH THE NEWLY-RELEASED VIDEOS BELOW
The East Lansing Police Department has released 82 minutes of new body-worn camera footage and announced charges against two men involved in a fight outside Dave’s Hot Chicken during Michigan State University’s Welcome Weekend.
The August 23–24 weekend sparked 52 police calls and 10 arrests, eight of which were not MSU students.
CHARGING INFORMATION
Police say Lonnie Smith, 21, of Okemos, and Mason Woods, 22, of East Lansing, were arrested after officers broke up a fight outside the restaurant at 194 Albert Avenue around 1:39 a.m. on August 24.
Smith was charged with disturbing the public peace and cited for misdemeanor disorderly fighting. His pretrial hearing is set for October 2.
Woods was charged with disturbing the public peace and resisting or obstructing a police officer. He was cited for misdemeanor disorderly fighting and misdemeanor resist, hinder and obstruct. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for October 23.
Police say neither man is a Michigan State University student. Both were treated after exposure to pepper spray. Smith was held until sober and released later the same day, while Woods was taken to a hospital for alcohol incapacitation.
Smith and Woods are due back in court next month. Police say they are still working with prosecutors to evaluate evidence and may file additional charges against others involved in downtown violence during Welcome Weekend.
THE NEWLY-RELEASED BODYCAM VIDEO
The department released four body-worn camera videos from the officers who responded. Together they total one hour, 22 minutes and 21 seconds.
Police say the clips show officers giving multiple commands before deploying pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
Chief Jennifer Brown said officers “have been doing their jobs to prevent assaults, stop fights, safely disperse large crowds and respond to other emergencies in an effort to keep our community safe.”
VIDEO 1 (6:21)
The bodycam shows a man insisting he was breaking up the fight, complaining about being pepper-sprayed and restrained, while officers respond that he ignored repeated commands to stop and move him into transport.
VIDEO 2 (43:05)
VIDEO 3 (16:04)
The video captures officers saying the crowd ignored three orders to stop before pepper spray was used, while a man insists he was trying to de-escalate, complains he couldn’t hear commands and can’t see, and is guided through transport and booking as officers explain he’ll get wipes and likely a misdemeanor citation with release when sober.
VIDEO 4 (16:51)
MESSAGE FROM EAST LANSING POLICE REGARDING VIDEOS
"The investigation into this incident is now complete. City attorneys and Police Chief Jennifer Brown have released four bodycam recordings from the four responding officers. Please note that when an officer turns on their body-worn camera, the video begins recording right away. However, the audio does not begin until two minutes later. This is because the cameras are designed with a short video buffer that captures silent footage leading up to the moment of activation. This feature helps provide context for what happened just before the camera was turned on."East Lansing Police Department
THE BACKSTORY AND PREVIOUS WKAR NEWS REPORTING
This is not the first video tied to the chaotic night. East Lansing Police had already published surveillance and earlier bodycam recordings from other incidents, including one in which a Lansing man allegedly brandished a knife and was subdued with a Taser.
Independent video shared by the Okemos-based Honey Bear Project showed police spraying an unidentified chemical into a crowd. That video, obtained by WKAR News on September 8, prompted Lansing NAACP President Harold Pope to accuse the police of selectively withholding footage.
“They want to say the videos we have don’t tell the whole story, but they won’t share theirs,” Pope said.
Honey Bear Project director Nadia Sellers argued officers were unprepared and overly aggressive, predicting lawsuits could follow.
On September 10, East Lansing City Council members warned that downtown’s reputation is suffering from recurring violence. Business owners described losing staff and customers due to safety concerns.
Councilmember Dana Watson urged police to release the footage, saying speculation was filling the vacuum.
“Either you did something wrong, or you did something right,” Watson said.
At the same meeting, the council debated proposed changes to the city’s Independent Police Oversight Commission that critics say would weaken its authority. On Sept. 24, City Council members voted 4-1 in favor of releasing a document outlining the proposed changes.
