East Harbour
In a written statement released on August 26, the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) said a TikTok video showing an altercation between one of its officers and the resident who filmed the incident does not fully reflect the situation.
On August 25, an East Haven resident using the username “audit.ehpd” posted a 24-second video on TikTok depicting an incident involving East Haven police officer Donato Palma that occurred on August 11. The clip shows Palma attempting to communicate with the resident at the storm door of his home. Palma tells the resident to speak “like a gentleman” and “like a man.”
The resident tells Palma, “You must respect my rights and my property,” to which Palma replies, “I do.”
“Listen, you’re on camera. I’m asking you to close the door,” the resident said. “If you don’t close it, I’ll have to go into the house.”
After asking the reluctant resident to speak to him, Palma is seen extending his left arm to detain him, after which the resident returns to his home. The officer is seen inside the home attempting to contain the escalation using force.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, why are you doing this?” the resident says to Palma, who tells him to “relax.”
The video was posted by the resident and captioned: “I did not open the door or commit any crime. They damaged my screen on the right window while attempting to enter through the window. After I told them to leave, they then forced their way in through the locked storm door.”
The description continues: “I went back to the storm door and again ordered them to leave and that’s when the altercation occurred. I never in my life believed they would actually reach into my house and grab me. I was wrapped in duct tape and released from the hospital the next morning.”
However, EHPD Captain Joseph Murgo said the post “does not provide the full context” of the situation and “appears to have been posted with the intent to misrepresent the incident.”
Murgo informs The Courier that the man who recorded and posted the video was “a suicidal man with self-inflicted wounds.”
Murgo said Palma tried to de-escalate the situation for “approximately an hour” before “taking the opportunity to take him into custody to prevent further harm when it was clear the offender was about to retreat back into the house.”
“In explosive situations like that of August 11, split-second decisions can mean the difference between life and death,” Murgo added.
Murgo said that videos of the incident were also recorded by several EHPD body-worn cameras and that the department’s supervisor reviewed the footage for use of force.
According to Murgo, after the review, it was determined that “Officer Palma did not violate any department policies.”
Regarding the misleading nature of the video, Murgo said: “While we understand and respect the importance of transparency, it is critical to know the full context before posting such incidents publicly.”
“Due to the fact that this incident involved someone in distress and in accordance with Connecticut state law, no further comment will be made,” he said.
