On Tuesday, Detroit police announced that they would be investigating the circumstances of the Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams’ recent arrest for unauthorized possession of a firearm (he had been a passenger in his brother’s car). He had been initially set to be incarcerated pending bail, only to be released.
Police Commander Michael McGinnis said (via WXYZ Detroit):
“(Chief James White) was very unhappy about the totality of the circumstances here. Even to go so far as to say he was pissed off.”
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He later added:
“I want to know if the fact that this individual was a Detroit Lions player, did that play a factor in the decision making?”
A detailed account of Jameson Williams’ firearms arrest
In the police video, Jameson Williams could be heard repeatedly saying:
“I play for the (Detroit) Lions!”
Despite his protestations that he needed the gun for personal protection (given the historically high crime rate in Detroit), he was handcuffed and put inside the squad car.
McGinnis later said in an interview:
“I feel that there was probable cause to arrest, and he was under arrest by the patrol officer. And because of that, he should have been conveyed to the Detroit Detention Center and processed.”
Instead of incarcerating Williams for the time being, police dispatched a supervisor, which is not unusual for high-profile stops like this. It is a precautionary measure to ensure that policy is obeyed in arrests that the media could heavily cover.
But the sergeant who arrived minutes later had a peculiar trait: he was a Lions fan. He recognized the wideout’s name when he heard it, and his cellphone had the Lions logo as its wallpaper.
At one point, as he was calling his superiors about the circumstances of the arrest, the sergeant could be heard whispering to one of the arresting officers:
“I’m so mad at you two.”
After some calls, it seemed obvious that Williams would be headed to jail for the night. But just a few minutes later, these words came:
“Okay. Beautiful. I’m good to let him go?. You’re a (expletive) hero. Thank you so much.”
The wide receiver was uncuffed, his gun was returned and no report or warrant request was filed.
Williams’s attorney, Todd Flood, and the Lions have since released statements.
Edited by Ribin Peter
