About 50 people gathered in the rain Thursday outside the Hall of Justice to protest a police chase that left a Lincoln man in the hospital after his leg was run over by a Lincoln Police SUV.
Police say Lavay Yankton Jr., known by relatives as Lavan, took off just before 11 a.m. April 27 when officers tried to arrest him on a felony warrant for domestic assault. Then, police say, he ran into the front passenger-side quarter panel of the SUV, causing him to fall.
The SUV's front tire ran over his left leg, breaking it.
Police say it was an accident and that the officer at the wheel began braking on the gravel after seeing Yankton, but couldn't avoid the collision.
Leo Yankton, who calls his cousin Lavan his brother, said he doesn't condone domestic violence and it was wrong for Lavan to run from police.
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But, he told the crowd, it also was wrong for police to hit him with an SUV.
And he wants to know why this incident and others never seem to be recorded by cruiser or body-worn cameras, which could let them see for themselves how it happened. He said this is the fourth time Lincoln police have had questionable interactions with his family which haven't been captured on video.
"Why don't they have any footage?" Leo Yankton asked.
Handmade signs surrounded him with that same message and others, such as "Natives Deserve Dignity Too" and "Hold Police Accountable."
On Thursday, Officer Angela Sands, a police spokeswoman, said neither of the officers pursuing Yankton on foot had a body camera. And the dashboard camera on Officer John Brandl’s SUV wasn’t recording because the overhead lights, which trigger them to start recording, hadn’t been activated, Sands said.
Even if the camera had been recording, it probably wouldn't have captured the impact, given how Yankton and the SUV collided, police contend.
In the accident report, Lincoln Police Sgt. Jake Dilsaver said Brandl was trying to cut off Yankton’s flight path but his view was obstructed by a parking garage off the alley.
Leo Yankton said, to him, it's obvious.
"Police are supposed to be here to serve and protect and to help us. So we naturally want to believe in them. But if the facts don't add up, there must be something amiss," he said.
On a loudspeaker, he questioned whether it could've been retaliation for a civil lawsuit he filed in February accusing the department of excessive force, entering his home without permission and marching his 14-year-old niece outside in her underwear and a T-shirt.
Leo Yankton said he wants justice for his family and would like to see more Natives on the police force, which he thinks could help.
Earlier this week, Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said in an uncontrolled environment like a foot pursuit, especially in a heavily populated area at a busy time, "there's lots of bad things that can happen."
"And unfortunately, in this case, Mr. Yankton was injured," he said.
Outside at the protest, as the rain got heavier, Frank LaMere, a Winnebago activist from South Sioux City, said over the years he's seen things like this happen again and again.
"Is this what you think of us? That you would run over this man. That you would decide you are going to be judge, jury, perhaps even executioner?" he asked.
LaMere said this is exactly what they think, and that's sad for the Native community, the minority community and the city of Lincoln. And he challenged those in the crowd to elevate the discussion.
Later in the day, Bliemeister released a statement saying the initial review supports that the collision was accidental and asked anyone who might have video of it to call police at 402-441-6000.
In the afternoon, Bliemeister said, he met with a group of people who have concerns about Lavay Yankton's apprehension.
"It is imperative that we listen to the voices of those we serve," he said.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger.
Riley Johnson contributed to this report.