Acollege investigation of a violent encounter between campus police and an African American student clears the SWCPD of wrongdoing. A two-month investigation rejected student David Vereen’s claim of unnecessary force after video of the encounter was posted on social media. Campus police wrestled Vereen to the ground in a parking lot near the gym when he refused to comply with their orders.
Officer Qui-Lan Dang detained Vereen on Oct. 1, 2019 on the charge of misusing a disabled placard that did not belong to him, but some community members expressed concern that the encounter was racially motivated. African American students and staff told college in a public townhall-style meeting in the aftermath of the confrontation that they felt less safe on campus.
Police reports, evidence and body-worn camera footage obtained by The Sun via the California Public Records Act reveal an escalating event that was loud and profane, culminating with two officers throwing Vereen to the ground and cuffing him. One of the reports said Vereen was cited for misuse of a disabled placard a month prior to the October 2019 confrontation.
Dang performed a records check on Vereen’s placard and confirmed it belonged to Lorena Pareja Corley, which prompted Dang to approach Vereen later that day in Parking Lot J.
Dang demanded to see Vereen’s license and registration. Vereen told Dang to “get out of my face” then sat down in the driver’s seat and closed the door. Dang opened the car door and again demanded that Vereen comply. Vereen asked why he was being investigated, but the officer did not answer the question.
“If you do not step out (of the car) you will be charged with 148,” Dang said.
Dang did not explain what a 148 is until Vereen asked. Penal code 148 describes willful resistance, delay and obstruction of a public officer.
Vereen repeatedly refused to comply with Dang’s commands while shouting profanities at the officer.
“Get the fuck out my face, bro,” Vereen said several times during the encounter.
Dang did not reveal he was citing Vereen for the misuse of a disabled placard for more than two minutes after he first approached him.
“It is not yours…” Dang said. “That is why I am here. You need to step out and comply.”
Vereen refused and again told the officer to get out of his face. Dang called for backup and Officer Gabriel Gonzaga responded. After more heated words, Vereen stepped out of his car and Gonzaga grabbed him and held him in place. This action aggravated Vereen and the situation quickly escalated. Gonzaga and Dang attempted to put Vereen in handcuffs. According to reports written by both officers, Vereen continued to tense up his arms and clench his fists.
Officers repeatedly warned Vereen that if he did not relax his arms then he would “go to the ground.”
Vereen refused to comply, according to their reports.
Gonzaga and Dang wrestled Vereen to the ground, handcuffed him and put him in the back of the police cruiser.
As a crowd gathered, the incident caused an uproar in the campus community when a video of Vereen being wrestled to the ground posted on Twitter by nursing student Lizette Moran spread across shortly after the encounter. That evening Moran’s video played on local television newscasts.
SWCPD Sgt. Marco Bareno arrived at the scene after Vereen was detained and filed a report afterwards.
“Vereen told me he could not afford to pay for parking at the college, and that prompted me to ask if that was the reason why he was using his mother’s placard,” Bareno wrote in his report. “He responded with a ‘yes’ confirming the ownership of the placard previously ran by Officer Q. Dang through records.”
During his detainment Vereen said he was using the placard because he was rehabilitating a serious knee injury.
Vereen was cited for resisting Dang and misusing a disabled placard. He was released after he agreed to calm down and promised not to confront the officers any further, according to Bareno’s report.
SWC President Dr. Kindred Murillo retained independent investigator Nicole Miller to investgate the matter. Two months later Miller concluded that campus police officers acted appropriately. Murillo accepted the report.
Murillo said conversations about the incident are still vital despite the conclusion of the report.
“It is important that the concerns of members of our community are addressed and further questions are answered to the extent we can do so,” she said. “We need to have an honest conversation about what we all can do differently, or better, to ensure our students experience the best learning environment at Southwestern College.”
SWC Police Chief Dave Nighswonger said he takes his relationship with the campus community seriously, but trust and respect must be mutual.
He said he created student club liaisons so SWCPD officers could visit with students and have meaningful discussions.
“Some of the things that came clear after that incident was that there is a lot of misunderstanding and that we and certainly me, we could’ve done more to reach out to some of the disadvantaged communities in the college,” he said.
Nighswonger also resurrected the dormant College Police Advisory Board to direct communication to the campus police and encourage dialogue. Only one faculty member went to the meeting last semester, but Nighswonger said the Feb. 20 meeting showed promise.
Attendees developed three proposals to create a better relationship with the police and the campus community. They are:
- A Student Justice Panel, to appoint an ASO-affiliated student to represent students in justice-related issues on campus, including parking citation appeals and restorative justice options such as community service instead of cash fines for parking citations.
- A Citizens’ Academy would open police training to students, faculty and staff with the goal of building an understanding of law enforcement functions and responsibilities.
- Biannual Police Open House and Sporting event would open the police building to students can interact in a friendly environment.
Vereen expressed disappointment with the investigation’s conclusions and said the officers know what they did was wrong. He did not wish to comment further without consulting legal representation. He would not say whether he planned to sue the college.
