The Detroit Police Department is responding to a viral social media post accusing officers of using excessive force during an arrest on the city’s east side.
The woman, identified by police as Jasmine Royster, claimed she was pulled from her car, slammed against a vehicle, and injured by officers outside a gas station on Gratiot Avenue. She also said she was jailed for several days and plans to sue the department.
According to DPD, officers were called to the 8000 block of Gratiot around 2:35 a.m. on October 20, 2025, after a report of people drinking outside their vehicles and refusing to leave. When officers arrived, they saw open liquor bottles and began investigating.
Police say Royster refused to provide identification and ignored several requests to step out of the vehicle. Officers say she resisted as they tried to detain her and was eventually handcuffed with the help of another officer.
Body camera footage reviewed by supervisors shows Royster claiming she was injured inside her mouth after being pushed against a police car. EMS evaluated her at the scene, and she was later taken to a hospital before being booked at the Detroit Detention Center.
Royster was cited for disorderly public intoxication, open alcohol in a vehicle, loitering, no insurance, and disobeying a lawful order. She was also charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, and obstructing a police officer and arraigned on October 23 in 36th District Court.
“The Detroit Police Department takes all allegations of force seriously,” said DPD spokesperson Jasmin Barmore. “Whenever an allegation of force is made, we will review all officers’ Body Worn Camera Footage and, as in all allegations of Use of Force, an investigation is conducted. We encourage anyone with complaints about our officers, or who believes they have been involved in a Use of Force incident, to report the incident properly to the Office Of The Chief Investigator at 313-596-2499. As incidents that are reported to social media only may not get to the proper investigation unit, so that it can be properly investigated.”
