Family Demands Answers After Alleged Police Brutality in Unitedville

The family of Samuel Parham is seeking answers after a viral video showed a police officer holding him in a chokehold during a detention in Unitedville on Friday, October 16.

Parham’s cousin, Nikkita Perez, says the family wants to know whether the officer’s use of force followed police procedures and why Parham has allegedly faced repeated harassment by officers.

Perez told News 5 that she was not present when the incident began but went to the family’s property after receiving a call. “When I got over there, I saw Samuel underneath the police vehicle,” Perez said.

She said she asked the officers to let her help him. “Please just excuse me, just let me take care of him and attend to the bleeding and see what’s going on,” she recalled telling them.

Perez said the officers did not acknowledge her request, but she eventually intervened to help him.

According to Perez, Parham told her that he was tired of what he described as repeated harassment and beatings by police. She said she urged him to cooperate with the officers so the family could follow up on his situation afterwards.

Perez said the repeated police presence has frightened the children living there, adding that some are now afraid of officers. “When they see a police, they want to run too because they say, ‘I don’t want nobody to beat me up like when they beat up that one.’ They left the children traumatised,” Perez said.

Perez said the family wants an explanation for the officer’s use of a chokehold, including whether the technique is part of police training and whether its use followed established procedures.

“We need answers because why every time you see this young man, you want to harass this young man?” Perez said.

Perez said Parham’s mother had informed her that he had secured a lawyer to represent him in court.