Prosecutors ordered an independent investigation into a Lawrence police captain’s use of force against a detainee.
In the early morning hours of March 10, 2023, Sodiq Folarin Amusat stood inside the Lawrence Police Department booking room after officers had arrested him for disorderly conduct.
A neighbor had reported Amusat playing loud music and officers said the 29-year-old was "belligerent and uncooperative" when they arrived at his apartment.
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Once they were back at the police station, Captain Michael Mangan supervised the booking process.
A video the NBC10 Boston Investigators obtained via records requests shows Amusat speaking with Mangan and another police officer while using his hands.
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Without warning, Mangan brings his arm across Amusat's neck and takes him to the ground. He is quickly joined by fellow officers as they place handcuffs on Amusat and bring him back to a holding cell.
![Video shows controversial Lawrence police use of force](https://media.nbcboston.com/2025/01/37325702894-1080pnbcstations.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=850%2C478)
We showed the video to Alex del Carmen, a national expert on use of force, and Todd McGhee, a retired Massachusetts state trooper who's taught defensive tactics for more than 30 years.
"I would call that an unreasonable use of force," McGhee said upon viewing the video.
Del Carmen came to a similar conclusion.
"From what you can see on the video, I think the officer overreacted in this case and essentially put him on the ground without having justification to do so," del Carmen said.
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In the wake of the incident, the Essex County District Attorney's Office tapped Daniel Bennett, the state's former public safety secretary, to conduct an independent investigation and determine if Mangan should face charges for assault and battery or filing a false police report.
In his narrative about the incident, Mangan wrote that Amusat "threw his right arm and outstretched hand at a high rate of speed toward my face in a grabbing motion."
McGhee and del Carmen both said the video appeared to show Amusat speaking to the other officer when the takedown occurred. They did note that it's not uncommon for an officer's recollection not to perfectly coincide with what's depicted on video.
"We know that when officers are in stressful situations, their interpretation of what happened may not be consistent with reality," said del Carmen. "And that simply happens because we're all human beings and the adrenaline is flowing."
Bennett asked Officer Chuck DiChiara, a statewide coordinator in use-of-force training, to provide analysis for the investigation.
DiChiara noted that the police captain showed attempts to de-escalate the situation by taking over communications and explaining the charges and arrest process. After 30 minutes, Mangan decided to place Amusat in a temporary holding cell until he calmed down.
During the subsequent attempt to complete the booking process, officers removed Amusat's handcuffs.
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DiChiara, who did not respond to an NBC10 Boston interview request, concluded that Mangan's use of force was reasonable and consistent with industry standards.
"A reasonable police officer could believe that an assault was imminent based on his aggressive actions, continuous non-compliant behavior, and multiple pre-attack indicators," DiChiara wrote.
In the independent investigation, Mangan's use of force was described as a "universally accepted takedown."
"I've never taught a clothesline technique," McGhee said. "I have never seen that technique in any type of use-of-force curriculum."
The report recommended no criminal charges against Mangan, who declined to comment for our story through his attorney.
Payroll records show Mangan was on injured-on-duty status after a crash in his department vehicle while responding to an emergency call almost two years ago. The Lawrence Retirement Board recently approved his application for a disability retirement.
Meantime, Amusat filed a federal lawsuit against Mangan and the City of Lawrence for a takedown that he said caused his head to hit a metal door and concrete floor inside the police station.
Amusat's attorney, Matthew Koes, declined to comment with the lawsuit still pending. However, he did tell NBC10 Boston that when the DA's office reached out to interview his client, it already indicated prosecutors did not plan to pursue charges.
In court filings, Mangan denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
In a statement, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said his office takes allegations of police misconduct extremely seriously and that is why Bennett was tapped to review the incident.
"The conclusion of the investigation was that, in view of all the factual circumstances and the applicable legal standards, criminal charges could not be provided beyond a reasonable doubt against Captain Mangan," Tucker said.