PHOTOS: An arrest in downtown Asheville

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The arrest of two people at the corner of Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street created a stir the evening of Sept. 4. At least 8 patrol cars, a police transport vehicle and one fire truck responded to the scene, where witnesses said an Asheville Police Department officer walked up to one man, slammed him to the ground and arrested him. A second man was also arrested. No word from police on what the charges were. There was nothing remarkable about the incident that I could tell. I was simply walking by and decided to stop and snap a few photos.

15 Comments

schwarzcat September 6, 2013 - 8:50 am

My wife was at the Southern and it sounded like they were after that guy for something because several cops showed up all at once as if a call had been made. There was a guy and a girl that came and tried to hide at the Southern later that looked really rough and strung out that were taken away as well.

That being said they were reportedly really rough with the guy but he was also yelling at the police and spitting on them. I think a good rule on thumb when dealing with the police is don’t spit on them if you want to be treated with respect.

Shazzam September 5, 2013 - 4:32 pm

You should do a drive-by photo shoot past my home and get some footage of my arse. It’s gonna be a full-moon tonight!

FDR September 5, 2013 - 3:47 pm

Trust me when I say there had to be good reason to arrest this guy in the manor they did. The liability of hurting someone would be bad news for an officer.

I avoid that stretch of street and businesses due to the folks that hang out on the benches. I’m sick of being harassed and don’t want a confrontation so I avoid that street entirely. Should I have to cross the street? Hell no! But Karma tells me these guys will mess with the wrong family one day.

Smytty September 6, 2013 - 11:00 am

Even with the tiny bench?

I work right across the street, and the tiny bench is one of the most amusing and ludicrous “solutions” to a problem that I have ever hear of.

But… it does seem to have cut down on the level of vagrancy in that tiny stretch.

Lauren Bacchus September 9, 2013 - 9:28 am

Does anyone know who is responsible for the ultimate decision to cut that bench in half? I seriously want to know so I can meet with them to discuss some seriously flawed reasoning that must have occurred. That bench makes me so mad (and sad)!!
Also, I agree with some of the previous comments that this post is pretty shallow in substance. If I were the author I would have saved these images and perhaps used them in a more in-depth piece rather than just throwing them out there with such little other information.
And seriously, I want to find out who to talk to about that bench.

Jason Sandford September 9, 2013 - 2:16 pm

Lauren, go here for background:

Gary Dunn March 10, 2014 - 10:46 pm

concerned is good, action is better

Paul September 5, 2013 - 1:27 pm

Cop just walked up to the guy, slammed him to the ground and arrested him? I’m sure there was no reason or justification for this obvious brutality. Damn APD bullies. Tongue firmly planted in cheek…

smytty September 5, 2013 - 11:32 am

I heard some rather sketchy things about how this all went down. Anyone have any details?

Nate September 5, 2013 - 8:52 am

Why take the pictures and print the story, but not not take *all* the pictures or try to actually get the story? You could have talked to one of the LEOs or another bystander, you could have taken a photo of both arrests instead of just the one . . .

Without any reporting, this post feels more like drive-by voyeurism than it does news.

Jason Sandford September 5, 2013 - 1:38 pm

I’m not pretending that it’s anything more than exactly that, Nate – drive-by photo shoot. This stuff goes on all the time, just not always in the heart of downtown. I don’t think there’s more to “the story.”

Sean September 5, 2013 - 2:39 pm

I am confused, Jason. You say it was a “drive-by photo shoot”, but you have added the blurb about what some “witnesses” claimed that they observed. I’m with Nate. If it was nothing more than voyeurism, then so be it. When you add innuendo and rumor, you get comments such as Paul’s below.

Jason Sandford September 5, 2013 - 2:43 pm

Sean, sorry for the confusion. all i’m saying is i was not reporting “a story.” i took a few photos of an event that was creating a scene, and relayed what people were saying they saw. that’s all. i’m trying to be clear that i was not making any attempt to talk to everyone involved, or dig deeper in some way. i saw. i shot. i posted.

Ivanrich September 10, 2013 - 10:02 pm

Something about that just feels ‘wrong.’ And especially unfair toward the people who were, justly or unjustly, arrested. Turning that event into some kind of voyeuristic entertainment for us (and without the permission of the folks pictured) with the attitude that there’s no story here worthy of our time is…well, not admirable.

FDR September 5, 2013 - 6:47 am

I’ve seen those gypsies around town with dirty clothes and the trade mark bed head. First step to cleaning up Asheville is putting these types in jail.

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