Tupelo police release bodycam footage of an arrest caught on video

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)-Tupelo police release bodycam footage of an arrest.

Images may be too graphic for some viewers. 

Police tell us Copeland was the passenger in a car that was pulled over on July 13th and had warrants for his arrest.

Investigators claim once Copeland got out of the car, he dropped a bag of what is believed to be drugs and then struggled with the officers.

Copeland then got his hand on an officer’s gun in a holster.

He was pepper-sprayed and punched with a closed fist during the incident.

One of the officers reported he initially had his handcuffs in his striking hand but dropped them when he realized what happened.

Below is a statement from the Tupelo Police Department.

“In an effort to be responsive to citizens’ concerns and as transparent as possible TPD is releasing the body camera footage and car camera footage from an assault on officer case from July 13, 2021. TPD conducts detailed investigations of these types of incidents.  We are still in the early stages of this investigation and our understanding of the incident may change as additional evidence is collected, analyzed, and reviewed.  We do not draw final conclusions until all the facts are known and our investigation is complete. ”

Copeland is charged with two counts of assault on a police officer.

His bond is set at $300,000.

The incident remains under investigation.