Body camera captures Greenville deputy closing car door on handcuffed man's head

Warning: This video contains explicit language.

A community activist is calling for a Greenville County sheriff's deputy to be fired after a video was released from a 2019 arrest that shows the deputy shutting a car door on a handcuffed man's head.

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office said in response that it investigates disputed incidents only if a person who was involved files a formal complaint.

On Tuesday, the man involved in the incident submitted a handwritten statement calling for action to be taken in light of his excessive force allegations. Activist Bruce Wilson emailed the one-page statement from the man to Sheriff Hobart Lewis, Capt. Jeff Long of the Greenville Police Department and Maj. Cliff Weir of the State Law Enforcement Division.

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"I was beaten, assaulted and threatened by Greenville County Sheriff's Officers. I was punched in the face with handcuffs, and at the arrival of the detention center, the threats, assaults continued," Stephon Hopkins wrote in his letter. "Officer Walters dragged me out the patrol car and then used the door of his patrol car and slammed it on my face/head."

Hopkins, 31, of Greenville, pleaded guilty to resisting arrest after an incident on April 22, 2019, according to court records and arrest warrants. Other charges of interfering with officers serving warrants, assaulting a police officer while resisting arrest, failure to appear after release for a misdemeanor and hindering an officer were dismissed.

The portion of Sheriff's Office body camera video shared with The Greenville News by Wilson shows a deputy parked outside the Greenville County jail with Hopkins in the back seat. In the video, Hopkins is seated while handcuffed and the back passenger-side door is open. Hopkins can be heard using explicit language and claiming the deputy used his handcuffs to punch Hopkins in the face as if he were using "brass knuckles."

The News has been unable to verify what happened prior to when the video begins.

The Sheriff's Office declined to comment specifically on the events seen in the video and encouraged Hopkins to file a formal complaint — either in person or by phone — in order to request an investigation into the deputy's actions.

The deputy can be heard requesting backup to help get into the jail. He then can be seen grabbing Hopkins before backup arrives in an attempt to pull him out of the patrol car. Hopkins, who is Black, resists. The deputy, who is white, then grabs one of Hopkins' pant legs to pull him out of the car and slides Hopkins onto the pavement. 

Then, while Hopkins' head is against the car-door frame, the deputy appears to close the door onto Hopkins' head.

"Oh lord — yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, I'm on camera, I'm on camera," Hopkins is heard saying after the door struck him in the face.

Lt. Ryan Flood, a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office, said the handwritten letter, which was emailed, does not equate to Hopkins personally walking into the Sheriff's Office and speaking with investigators, or calling them by phone, to lodge a formal complaint. He said that process is important so that proper questions can be asked.

"By all means, if we ever saw something to be criminal in the course of our duties, we would address the issue by contacting an investigating agency such as SLED,” Flood said. “If we don’t identify an action at first glance as criminal but a complainant is nonetheless disputing the actions of the deputies, then we would request for them to come speak to our Office of Professional Standards so that they can investigate the incident in its entirety.”

Wilson said the incident represents a clear case of excessive force, and he called on the Greenville County Sheriff's Office to fire the deputy immediately.

The deputy was identified through court records as Sgt. Jacob Walters. Walters came to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office in 2007, according to records from the state Criminal Justice Academy.

Walters did not immediately respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.

Hopkins told The Greenville News that Walters' actions were excessive and he's dealt with ongoing pain and suffering in light of what took place. He said the initial mugshot taken at the jail, depicting his swollen eyes, shows the nature of his injuries from the incident.

Wilson said it shouldn't take a formal complaint, or Hopkins having to walk into the Sheriff's Office, for the agency to begin an investigation if evidence comes forward.

The bodycam video that Wilson shared was entered into evidence during Hopkins' criminal case, and that is how Hopkins obtained the footage after he was released from jail and filed a motion. He then shared the video with Wilson.

Police bodycam footage is not considered a public record in South Carolina. However, attorneys and defendants are entitled to their own copies of such footage in their cases.

Sheriff's Office's General Counsel Wesley Vorberger sent a letter to Wilson on Feb. 11 after Wilson shared the video footage with the Sheriff's Office and called for the deputy's termination.

"As a standard practice, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office does not investigate matters based upon referrals by third-parties," Vorberger wrote in the letter that Wilson shared with The Greenville News. "In order for an investigation to begin, Hopkins will need to file a complaint personally."

The letter went on to say that the Sheriff's Office takes "allegations of unconstitutional conduct very seriously."

"You’re telling me you're not going investigate unless you get a complaint, when you have an issue in front of you with an officer potentially doing an illegal act," Wilson said. "That sets the whole community up for failure."

Per the Sheriff's Office's body camera policy, supervisors are to randomly review footage on a monthly basis to check for compliance and equipment issues. The policy does not specifically state whether supervisors are checking for conduct issues but does say it is "to identify areas in which additional training or guidance is required."

Wilson copied SLED on the emailed letter along with the Greenville Police Department, since the incident occurred within the city limits outside the jail, to request an independent criminal investigation.

Lt. Alia Paramore, of the Greenville Police Department, said the city would not investigate any potential allegations involving a sheriff's deputy but rather that would be SLED's responsibility.

Hopkins said he ended up being taken to the hospital for medical treatment after the car door incident before being booked into the jail.

He pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2019, and was sentenced to time he had already served in jail before taking the guilty plea. 

He then went from Greenville County to Newberry County, where he faced a second degree assault and battery conviction unrelated to the Greenville County case and served 284 days in jail before being released.

Having been out of jail for roughly five months, Hopkins said it has taken time to obtain the body camera footage and find support to pursue corrective action against the Sheriff's Office. He said he also wants to see the deputy fired.

The Greenville News has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the incident reports, videos, and any internal affairs reports from the incident.

Daniel J. Gross is an investigative watchdog reporter focusing on public safety and law enforcement for The Greenville News. Reach him at dgross@greenvillenews.com or on Twitter @danieljgross. Subscribe to The Greenville News.