Four Stony Brook University Police officers restrained a shouting man as he lay face down on the floor of the Campus Recreation Center lobby Saturday afternoon, according to a video posted in the Stony Brook Strength Club Facebook group.
In the video, the unidentified man can be heard shouting at the officers who appear to be handcuffing him.
Unidentified man: SBU move back. . . Just chill! Yo don’t touch my (inaudible)…You do not put your fucking—get your hand off my..
Female police officer: What’s your name?
A fifth police officer later arrived at the scene, where a flat-screen TV appears broken and shards of glass are strewn across the black tiles of the recreation center floor. A football also sits motionless among the shattered glass of a vending machine as the shouting continues.
Nick Marcella, a coordinator at the facility, was present at the time of the incident but was unable to comment on what he witnessed. “All I can say is that it’s still an open investigation,” Marcella said.
SBU Police also cited the ongoing investigation and a Stony Brook Press reporter was told to “call back Tuesday for more information.” Jay Souza, director of the center, could not be reached for comment.
Photo C/O Stephen Hanna
Silence from the university did not quell the curiosity of the campus community as students took to social media to discuss the shocking scene. Photos of blood-stained tiles can be found on the anonymous social media site Yik Yak and rumors have been circulating campus.
“This guy was freaking drunk/high/OD. He insulted and choked 3-4 innocent people. Punched the TV and the vending machine and got himself bleeding. Finally he ended up in custody by UP. I wish I could videotape all of it, but I was scared to hold my phone. That was my worse shift every (sic),” said the caption accompanying the Facebook video. The Press has not been able to verify these claims.
The university has not issued a campus-wide alert about the incident. “I just want to say that I’m not sure about Stony Brook, UPD, or the Recreation Center’s policy about transparency, but I believe this is something that the students should know,” said one post on Stony Brook Secrets 2, a Facebook page geared towards anonymous contributions about SBU.
“After shoving a bunch of people and screaming at them, he starts destroying sh*t. He starts smashing the TVs on the wall, breaking them, and smashing the vending machine and shattering the glass. He takes the locks out of the vending machine and starts throwing them, screaming at the top of his lungs. He walks towards the exit and another kid is walking through the entrance, ready for his workout. He instantly grabs his neck and screams at him, then throws him to the ground, choking him. Thinking he’s about to get killed, a bunch of us run over and pull him off, but he screams like Goku and shoves everyone off, screaming ‘GET THE F*CK AWAY FROM ME’ while headbutting another kid who tried to get him to,” the same anonymous post said.
Photo C/O Yik Yak (Anonymous)
“We pay for the Rec Center with our tuition so the University should let us know what’s going on,” said Ronald Blanchand, a sophomore computer science major who regularly uses the Rec Center gym and heard about the incident from his workout buddies.
Some feel that the incident is a private matter. “There is absolutely no reason for anyone else to be informed about what happened. If he were still on the loose, that’s another story,” said a man who identifies himself as Jeff Skyhound on Facebook.
While debate over privacy and transparency continues, many students have voiced a common sentiment—gratitude for the campus police.
The Stony Brook Press will be updating the story with the latest information.
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