VCU police officer uses physical force on civilian during speed enforcement

Varsha Vasudevan, Staff Writer

Selna Shi, News Editor

A VCU Police officer stopped Paul Willis IV, a Black man, for speeding and later used force on him on Feb. 4, according to the released body-worn camera footage. 

Willis was driving at 50 mph in a 25 mph zone and did not immediately stop for the officer, according to a statement from VCU Police senior public relations specialist Corey Byers. 

Willis exited the vehicle and did not return back inside it despite the officer telling him to, according to the statement. It also states that Willis then “lunged” forward and grabbed the officer’s gun, and the officer used physical force to remain in control of the gun and situation.  

Both Willis and the officer were treated at a local hospital for their injuries after the incident, according to the statement.

“Willis, 31 of Richmond, was subsequently charged with obstruction of justice, and felony assault and battery on a law enforcement officer,” the statement read. “Willis is unaffiliated with VCU.”

Atticus Johnson, co-chair of Virginia’s chapter of Trans Radical Activist Network, met Willis during a protest in Richmond against police brutality in 2020.

“I managed to recognize him [Willis] immediately from the video,” Johnson said. 

Johnson said it was unnecessary for the police officer to chase after Willis in the first place. In the news article Johnson read, the incident in the body cam happened after a speed trap, he said.

“What reason was there to chase him for speeding if he had already been caught in the speed trap?” Johnson said. “He [Willis] was alleged going 50 mph on a busy street in broad daylight, the only way for the police to catch him was by going over 50 mph. The cop would have to outspeed him just to catch up to him. So now we have up to two cars driving recklessly on the street.”

VCU PD has been consistently expanding into areas outside of VCU and have attempted to gain access to the Richmond Police department database, which included personal information unrelated to VCU individuals, according to Johnson. 

“Why is campus police arrest and detain people who aren’t campus individuals in the first place?” Johnson said. “This is a bigger issue of VCU PD expanding their operation zone.”

Johnson said he was reading the comments on news articles that covered the incident and comments that said Willis should’ve obeyed the police officer which bothered Johnson.

“I feel like we have passed that point of saying that when in intense situations or in situations where you are afraid, you should just listen anyways,” Johnson said. “There are too many instances and videos where police brutality and people murdered by police happening in broad daylight. Being in broad daylight on a busy road was not going to save him [Willis].”

The VCU chapter of the NAACP social justice chairman, Brandon Tweedy, said he was “on edge” the first time they watched the body-worn camera footage. 

“We’ve seen far less take place and far worse happen,” Tweedy said. 

Tweedy said he expected the officer to have proper training to avoid “careless mistakes” like these, as it seemed like Willis was able to reach the gun fairly easily. 

“Outside of hurting the officer at that point, you got to think about the greater community around during that interaction,” Tweedy said. “It just seemed like a very careless situation that could have ended a lot worse than it did.”

Tweedy said unfamiliarity between non-student Richmond community members and VCU Police may have added to the tension between Willis and the officer. 

“I feel like the normal training — or the normal interaction that may happen between the students and a campus officer — would be different than one that would happen between just an officer of a town and the citizens there,” Tweedy said. 

Tweedy said the officer could have begun the conversation by introducing themself as a VCU PD officer to reassure Willis. 

Tweedy said there should be initiatives to build “connection” and trust between the general Richmond community and VCU Police to avoid incidents such as this. 

VCU is partly accountable for this incident despite Willis being unaffiliated with VCU, as the officer that interacted with Willis was a VCU Police officer, Tweedy said. 

“I think they [VCU] owe a special sort of responsibility to community members,” Tweedy said. “They [community members] didn’t sign up for VCU PD to be around or to be — whereas we as students are kind of subjected to their patrolling.” 

Tweedy said this incident is an example of subtle forms of abuse of power and requires “more digging” to recognize that.

“I think it’s still an abuse of power and it’s still just as serious of a situation seeing as how many factors could have avoided such an interaction taking place,” Tweedy said. “I would just really like to see it be handled seriously and taken seriously by the university and VCU Police. So nothing worse happens in the future.”

Willis is currently still held in jail with no bond, according to Richmond Inmate Search. Willis’s court date is scheduled to be on Mar. 13. 

Editor’s note: The Commonwealth Times initially posted this article on its website on Feb. 22, but decided to talk to more sources since. This is the updated and final version of the article.