A newly surfaced video showing Detroit Police Commissioner Darious Morris standing inside a violent street brawl has reignited questions about the civilian oversight official’s judgment, role and relationship with the department he helps monitor.
As reported by WXYZ-TV Detroit, the fight broke out on Tuesday after two women began fighting. Morris was in the crowd wearing a black T-shirt and a Detroit police hat featuring a gold police-style badge.
Morris told the station that a man struck a woman, prompting another man to intervene before the confrontation escalated. Video shows one man on the ground as another repeatedly punches him, while Morris remains nearby and later pushes the attacker back.
The footage does not show Morris throwing punches, but he acknowledged telling the attacker to watch where he landed blows. “He got what comes behind it,” Morris said, adding that he believed the man had received “a hard lesson” and that he was not going to stop the fight immediately.
DPD Says It Is Reviewing The Badge-Wearing Brawl Video
The Detroit Police Department said it is aware of a video circulating online that shows an individual wearing a hat and displaying a gold police-style badge. The department told WXYZ-TV Detroit that it is actively looking into what happened.
Morris said he did not call Detroit police because he believed someone else in the crowd had already done so. He also said he did not stay to provide a statement, arguing that he was not going to put himself in danger, do the police’s job or appear to take sides in what he described as mutual combat.
That explanation is especially loaded because Morris is the elected District 3 member of Detroit’s Board of Police Commissioners, the civilian body responsible for reviewing complaints against officers and taking part in police oversight, according to the City of Detroit.
Video Adds Another Chapter To Morris’ Troubled Tenure
Morris was already facing scrutiny before the brawl footage surfaced. BridgeDetroit reported in January that Morris had been urged to resign after disputes with Detroit officers and criticism over social media posts, but his attorneys said he would remain on the board.
Earlier reporting by WXYZ-TV Detroit also detailed Morris’ prior felony convictions, a two-year prison sentence and a 2023 confrontation with a Warren police officer. Morris has said he accepts responsibility for his past and views his public service as part of a redemption story.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said in a January release that it would not reissue a warrant in a separate 2021 gun case because the firearm connected to the investigation had been destroyed by Detroit police in 2024. The case had previously been dismissed after officers failed to appear for a preliminary examination.
Watchdog Cleared Morris, But Recommended New Rules
The latest controversy arrives months after Detroit’s Office of Inspector General cleared Morris of misconduct allegations tied to encounters at a police precinct and a traffic stop. Hoodline previously reported that the watchdog still recommended clearer station-security rules and training for police commissioners, including guidance for interactions with officers and social media use.
For now, the department’s review is the only announced official action tied to the brawl video. It remains unclear whether anyone involved in the fight was arrested or injured, but the footage has placed Morris back at the center of a debate over what civilian police oversight should look like when the oversight official is also a participant—or apparent participant—in a volatile public scene.
