Asheville Police Release Body-Worn Camera of Grove Arcade Incident

The video allows the public to see the events leading up to the detainment. The public can hear the words spoken by Searles when he approached officers.  He did not identify himself, contrary to news reports. He did identify a reportedly stolen car as “my lady’s” car.  The body-worn camera makes it clear that Mr. Searles went silent and walked away.  Officers began to ask him pertinent questions about the investigation but Searles refused to answer questions. That is when officers attempted to detain him without using handcuffs to de-escalate the situation. Searles then became agitated. Officers decided to detain him with handcuffs to complete their investigation but Searles resisted that effort.

 

On December 9, 2024, at 3:48 p.m., APD officers responded to a report from staff at Prestige Subaru regarding a missing vehicle from their inventory, along with its key. Staff informed officers that the vehicle was equipped with a tracking system and was currently pinging at an apartment complex in West Asheville. Officers responded to the area but were unable to locate the vehicle. Later that evening, staff reported that the vehicle’s location had updated, showing it near Battle Square. At 7:03 p.m., officers located a vehicle matching the description parked near the Grove Arcade.

 

During the investigation, officers detained Mr. Searles based on reasonable suspicion arising from his actions, including his familiarity with the vehicle, his statements indicating knowledge of its possession, and his visible possession of keys, which matched the description. 

When informed of the investigation, Mr. Searles walked away from officers without providing further information. Despite verbal attempts to gain his compliance and efforts to de-escalate, officers were required to respond to his resistance. Following the investigation, it was determined that Mr. Searles was not involved in the vehicle’s theft or possession. He was released without charges and transported downtown at his request.

In accordance with APD’s standard procedures, the department conducted an administrative review of the incident. The review concluded that the officers acted within agency policy, based on reasonable suspicion, to detain Mr. Searles. Key facts included his familiarity with the vehicle, his possession of keys potentially related to it, and his lack of cooperation during the investigation. Despite media reports to the contrary, Mr. Searles did not identify himself as an employee of the Grove Arcade.

 

The full body-worn camera footage is available for public viewing at https://www.youtube.com/TnxWJ8nuEkA and raw footage can be accessed on the City of Asheville YouTube Channel by clicking the links below. 

Asheville PD – Full Video – Grove Arcade

Asheville PD – Officer # 1 – Arrival through Arrest

Asheville PD – Officer # 2 – Arrival and Arrest

 

Asheville PD – Officer # 3 – Response and Arrest