TULSA, Okla.–Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols has directed the city’s Public Safety Commissioner to join an internal review into a Tulsa Police Department vehicle rolling over a detained Black man on the ground following a violent arrest over jaywalking.
The incident was first reported by Channel 2’s Erin Christy, who obtained body cam and dash cam of the April arrest, in which several police officers are seen dragging 24-year-old Kemonte Hampton’s body out from under one of their patrol cars after a responding officer allegedly forgot to put his car in park.
Officers continued to handcuff and arrest Hampton without performing any immediate medical care as the man cried out, “Y’all just ran me over, bro.”
Tulsa Mayor responds to violent jaywalking arrest
The Black Wall Street Times reached out to newly elected Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols’ office for a response to the incident that began over a suspicion of jaywalking.
“As with any police incident, we must affirm our commitment to transparency and accountability. Immediately following the incident, an internal review was launched, and I will be engaged in the review at the direction of Mayor Nichols,” stated the mayor’s Public Safety Commissioner Laurel Roberts. “Our police officers are entrusted with protecting the public, and that trust will be upheld through integrity and respect for all members of our community.”
TPD says community asked for it
According to police, Hampton ran from officers when they tried to detain him on suspicion of jaywalking, which they claim can be a pretext to other crimes. The chase ended at the parking lot of a Quiktrip near 11th and South Garnett.
Body cam footage shows Hampton kneeling in surrender before a second officer runs up and shoves him from behind. As officers wrestle Hampton to the pavement, another responding officer leaves his vehicle, which silently rolls over Hampton’s body as he cries out in pain.
In a statement to Channel 2’s Erin Christy, Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Muelenberg appeared to blame the community for the violent incident.
“Is jaywalking a minor infraction? Yes,” the TPD captain admitted. “But it comes on the demands of the community saying, ‘Hey, we have major crimes out here—do something.’”
Tulsa Police Department has been ranked as one of the deadliest for civilians in the nation, according to year-by-year police killing data from Mapping Police Violence. In fact, TPD has had the fourth-highest rate of police killings per one million people between 2013 and 2025.
Internal review ongoing
Elected as Tulsa’s first Black mayor in November 2024, Mayor Monroe Nichols has pledged to reduce the city’s crime rate and improve trust between law enforcement and the community.
As a son of a police officer, Nichols hasn’t shied away from calling for reforms following the killing of George Floyd.
The mayor’s response to incidents of alleged police brutality or misconduct could mark the direction of his administration in a city with a long history of distrust between Black Tulsans and the police officers who are meant to serve them.
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This tactic is called “Broken Window Policing” it’s widely studied and no actual connection has been established to connect Disorder (Petty Crimes) to increases in Major Crimes, or in targeting them reducing the chances of them occurring. But it has been widely criticized for targeting homeless and minorities in larger numbers compared to other groups. First implemented by the NYPD, it has a long case history of Civil Rights violations, over-policing of low income neighborhoods, and distrust in law enforcement. It’s nothing more than a placebo for a societal issue, that gives all the appearance of action with none of the benefits while targeting individuals by race and class.