Viral video shows deputies restraining teen at Coastal Carolina Fair; incident report disputes his account

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) — A viral video showing multiple deputies restraining an 18-year-old during a fight at the Coastal Carolina Fair is raising questions about the use of force, as the young man and law enforcement offer conflicting accounts of what happened.

Justin Bryant, 18, says he was not involved in the original fight on Sunday, Nov. 8, and claims deputies continued striking him even after he was handcuffed.

However, a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office incident report states Bryant repeatedly ignored deputies’ commands and continued resisting as they attempted to restrain him.

Video of the encounter shows several deputies holding Bryant face down on the ground, with officers appearing to apply pressure to his upper body, head and neck.

Teen says he was trying to calm down his younger brother

Bryant told Live 5 News he was walking around the fair when a younger relative approached him and said his brother had been involved in a fight.

He says he went to check on his brother, but by the time he arrived, the altercation had already ended.

Bryant says his younger brother approached him in handcuffs, and he was attempting to calm him down when deputies suddenly turned their attention toward him.

“I tried to tell them, like, I ain’t got nothing to do with this,” Bryant said.

Bryant claims multiple deputies grabbed him and forced him to the ground despite his attempts to explain he had not been involved in the original fight.

He alleges deputies placed pressure on his head and neck, struck him with a flashlight and punched him in the back of his head, including while he was handcuffed.

“So about four or five of them grabbed me, tipped me down to the ground, put their knee on my head,” Bryant said. “Hit me with a flashlight, boxed me in the back of my head. They did all that while I’ve been restrained, you know, and cuffed.”

Bryant says he was confused about why deputies were using force against him and maintains he was not resisting.

“Once I hit the ground, I ain’t been resisting from the beginning to the end,” Bryant said. “All I was just trying to tell them was I ain’t getting no fight and I ain’t doing nothing.”

He says the encounter left him with a severe headache and pain in his neck and upper body.

Berkeley County incident report describes resistance

A Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office incident report provides a different account of what led deputies to restrain Bryant.

According to the report, deputies gave Bryant multiple commands to stop, but he continued fighting with deputies and resisting their attempts to detain him.

The report states Bryant continued resisting after being taken to the ground and repeatedly tried to get up.

A deputy then placed a knee across Bryant’s shoulder blades to prevent him from getting up, according to the report.

The video shows multiple deputies holding Bryant face down, but the footage alone does not establish whether Bryant was resisting or whether the force used was justified.

Bryant disputes the deputies’ account, maintaining that he was not resisting and that officers continued striking him while his hands were restrained behind his back.

Mother says she feared for her son’s life

Bryant’s mother, Jaleesa Ellison, says what was supposed to be a family outing quickly turned into a frightening experience.

Ellison says she was spending time with younger family members in the fair’s children’s area when she received a phone call about the disturbance.

She rushed toward the scene but says deputies repeatedly prevented her from approaching her children.

Ellison says she eventually found four family members handcuffed, including Bryant, her daughter and two other relatives.

“Everybody was in cuffs. Everybody was in cuffs,” Ellison said. “They wasn’t telling me nothing. They just kept on telling me to back up, that I can’t talk to them.”

Ellison alleges deputies refused to explain why her family members were being detained and says she spent nearly two hours at the scene trying to get answers.

She also claims deputies handled her children roughly while they were restrained.

“The way that they handled my son, I just felt like he wouldn’t be here today,” Ellison said. “Because of the way that they were handling him when I actually put eyes on him.”

Sheriff’s Office says lieutenant was assaulted during fight

In a statement to Live 5 News, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed deputies responded to a large fight at the Coastal Carolina Fair on the evening of Nov. 8.

The agency says deputies working the event moved to break up the disturbance and restore order.

During the incident, the Sheriff’s Office says a lieutenant was struck in the face. The agency said the lieutenant was back at work Monday afternoon.

The Sheriff’s Office says one person was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with third-degree assault and battery.

Bryant says he was not that individual and was released without being arrested.

He claims deputies initially accused him of assaulting an officer before later telling him he would be released with tickets.

Live 5 News has not independently confirmed whether Bryant received any citations or what offenses they may have involved.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office’s statement does not specifically address Bryant’s allegations that deputies struck him while handcuffed.

Berkeley County deputies also assisted with the response, and the agency’s incident report describes Bryant as resisting deputies’ commands.

Questions remain about what led to the physical encounter, the level of force used against Bryant and whether the deputies’ actions are being reviewed.

Bryant and his mother maintain he was not involved in the original fight and are questioning how deputies handled the situation.