Two individuals were arrested after an altercation that also resulted in an injured Memphis Police Department (MPD) officer outside of Crosstown Concourse, a hub of community activity in Memphis. The MPD responded to a disturbance call at Global Cafe around 4 p.m. Tuesday, where, according to Action News 5, an employee had asked a woman to leave the establishment, only to be met with her refusal.
Upon the arrival of three police officers, the woman, Amiya Johnson, persisted in her refusal leading to an attempt at arresting her which quickly escalated into violence—Johnson is accused of pushing and punching the officers as they tried to detain her, and Donald Batiste, a man who became involved, also began pushing and punching the officers, as Action News 5 reports. Amid the struggle to arrest Johnson a fight broke out leading MPD to detain four individuals. However, after the altercation subsided, two of those detained were released without charges inclusive of Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk, Tami Sawyer.
The officers' efforts to restrain Batiste encountered resistance, culminating in them deploying pepper spray, The incident left one officer with facial injuries necessitating treatment at Regional One Hospital, per WREG. Both Johnson and Batiste are facing charges, including four counts of assault on a first responder and disorderly conduct; Batiste faces an additional charge of resisting official detention.
Injuries sustained by the officer are not life-threatening, with the MPD stating the officer was expected to be okay, as FOX13 Memphis reported; in court records, Johnson and Batiste are identified as the primary aggressors in an unsettling display of violence against first responders trying to execute their duty to maintain public order.
Both defendants are scheduled for a court appearance Tomorrow, where they will face the consequences of the charges brought against them.
