Springfield, Illinois – In our ongoing coverage of the Springfield Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit and its treatment of people on the East Side of Springfield, Springfield Leaks has obtained body-worn camera footage of the arrest of Jaylin Netters, age 28. Community activist Samuel Johnson, who held a press conference with Jaylin Netters, his mother Keyda Netters, and an activist group, claims that this is yet another instance of the Street Crimes Unit targeting Black individuals on the East Side of Springfield.

Johnson stated that officers attempted to gain unlawful entry into Netters’ vehicle by claiming it had illegal tinted windows, even though they did not see Netters drive the vehicle and it was legally parked on the side of the road. “This is yet another attempt by the Street Crimes Unit to unlawfully enter a vehicle and target individuals who match a certain description and resemble me. Now, we also have a dog attacking us while we are on the ground. This just looks like modern-day slavery,” Johnson said.

Netters was arrested for aggravated battery to a police officer, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was released from the Sangamon County Jail and was not formally charged.