ORLANDO, Fla. – Body camera footage from an altercation between an Orlando police officer and a homeless man show the events that led up to what turned into a bloody brawl in the middle of a street.
[FULL VIDEO: Officer body camera footage released ]
The altercation took place on Aug. 26 on Ossie Street in the city's Parramore neighborhood.
Orlando police Officer James Wilson could be seen in cellphone footage straddling Terre Johnson. The two were trading punches and Johnson was bloody.
At the time, Orlando police investigators refused to surrender the officer's body camera footage, even though they said it would shed light on why the officer reacted the way he did.
In the footage obtained by News 6, you can hear Wilson decide to issue a citation to Johnson for sitting on a curb and having his feet in the roadway.
Johnson argues with the officer, while people nearby ask the officer why he's treating Johnson so badly.
"You better shut your mouth when I'm busy with him," Wilson is heard saying. "Or else you'll be impeding my investigation. Ooh, big words."
Wilson then threatens to cite Johnson -- who's homeless -- for illegally camping.
"I'm not camping," Johnson says in the body camera video. "Do I have a tent?"
"A tint? A tint? What's a tint?" the officer asks.
Johnson warns Wilson to run his name through the police database and to call for backup because he's had violent run-ins with officers before.
Wilson calls for backup, as Johnson tries to walk away.
"Mr. Johnson that's so much paperwork," the officer says to Johnson.
His camera is then seen being thrown to the side of the street.
Johnson was cited for sitting on the curb.
He was also sent to jail facing charges of aggravated assault on a police officer.
His trial could begin sometime in December.
Thursday, News 6 showed the footage to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who said he couldn't comment on the specifics of the video without knowing more about the case.
But he said if anything it shows the Orlando police body camera program is working.
"If there's any use of force, whether it's pepper spray, whether it's touching you, the sergeant immediately comes to the scene reviews the entire thing and then it goes up the chain of command."
Dyer said the entire department would soon be equipped with body cameras.?