POINT PLEASANT BEACH – A recording of an arrest on Instagram has angered people, causing the police chief to use Facebook to address what he said were lies in the social media post.
“One of the biggest problems with social media is that it often presents only one side of a story, creating a false narrative,” Chief Joseph Michigan said in a press release on the department’s Facebook page. This was in response to an Instagram post where the poster said he was arrested for drinking a beer on the boardwalk.
According to the police report, Zakee Murphy, 29, of Garfield, was walking on the boardwalk drinking out of a bottle of Hennessy liquor. This happened on July 12 at around 6 p.m.
Officers asked for his identification so they could issue a summons. He provided a false name and did not have identification.
When he started to walk away from the officers, he was placed under arrest for obstruction. The suspect then resisted arrest, pulling his hands away when officers were trying to handcuff him. He was brought to the ground, restrained and handcuffed.
“Mr. Murphy was NOT arrested for drinking in public; he was arrested for failure to give his proper name and resisting arrest,” the chief said. “Many comments have been made about the number of officers on scene, but what the video fails to capture is a volatile crowd shouting obscenities at the officers who were upholding the law. Additional officers were called to ensure the safety and security of patrons on the boardwalk at the time. No excessive force was used on Mr. Murphy. In fact, officers in the middle of attempting to restrain Mr. Murphy can be seen removing a bench from the area to prevent an injury.”
“I ask those who attempt to portray our officers and town in a negative light to get all facts before spreading misinformation,” he said. “Before you accept a social media post as fact, remember to account for both sides of the story.”
