In the quiet town of Senatobia, Mississippi, footage showing a harrowing encounter between police officers and a member of the community raises concerns about abuse of power within the local police department and other areas of law enforcement.

Mark Lesure, a barber and longtime resident of Senatobia, was accosted by police officers after his girlfriend’s 16-year-old son was approached by officers.

Lesure told Red State that the youngster was walking home from school in mid-December 2023 when he was approached by the officers, who were patrolling the area investigating reports of an individual who “had shot a person two or three streets over with a pellet gun,” according to the barber.

“My girl's son was walking from school and the police was in the community, I guess, searching for the guy who shot the man with the pellet gun,” Lesure recalled. He continued:

They knew who they were looking for because the person who called them told them who did it. See, this is a tight-knit community, so everybody knows each other. So, the person who called told them who it was. So, they knew who they were looking for. They were looking for an opportunity to really come in my house.

Lesure explained how he and other members of the community had previous encounters with the police and noted that “when they come here, they come super aggressive.”

Lesure indicated that he and other residents have had discussions with law enforcement, telling them that they “don’t’ have to come with your guns and all that aggression,” and said police approach members of the community in this way “for misdemeanor crimes, for warrants, for people missing court.”

The barber noted that the police “act like the community is a high-crime area when it’s nothing but elders in this community.”

The numbers support Lesure’s claim. Senatobia’s violent crime rate is lower than the national average and most other American cities. “Everybody knows each other. You can leave your car door unlocked. You can leave your house unlocked…This is what community this is.”

As the 16-year-old was walking home, the officers told him to “come here.”

The boy went into the home to get an adult to speak with the police. Upon learning of the presence of police, Lesure went outside to speak with the officers. He said:

And when I opened the door, the police are surrounding my house with their guns out with lethal intention. And when I see it, I instantly tell them, start telling them, ‘Put them guns down because you got your guns out with your hand in a ready position, ready to shoot.’

After the situation deescalated, one of the officers told Lesure they wished to speak with the boy. At that point, Lesure brought the young man outside.

The situation seemed to have mostly calmed down at this point until the arrival of Police Chief Richard Chandler. The footage shows Lesure speaking with officers as the minor comes out of the house. Chandler is seen walking into Lesure’s home without permission or a warrant. Lesure can be heard shouting “you’re not even supposed to go in there,” and “come up out of my house.”

At this point, Chandler can be seen putting his hands around Lesure’s throat and trying to take him to the ground. “I had to put my hands on his shoulder to relieve the pressure off him choking me,” he told RedState.

The footage shows one of the officers tasing Lesure multiple times before accidentally tasing Chandler, who had Lesure in what appears to be a chokehold. “He had my neck. He was still there applying pressure. I had my hands up. I was asking him to get off me, get off me. He wouldn't get off me. And man, he was psychotic that day. He was a maniac that day. And that's how it all happened,” Lesure said.

Warning: coarse language

Mark Lesure was accosted by police officers in his own home in Senatobia, Mississippi despite not being suspected of a crime.

The police chief entered Lesure's home without permission or a warrant, then tried to choke Lesure after being told to leave. pic.twitter.com/r72DftQLRw

— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) January 10, 2024

After the incident, the officers arrested the boy for “disorderly conduct,” and he spent four days at a juvenile detention center despite not having engaged in rowdy behavior during the altercation. Lesure told RedState that the judge in the case apologized to the boy’s mother and released him without any paperwork or further explanation.

The authorities are charging Lesure with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a stolen firearm. The officers obtained an emergency warrant after the violent confrontation despite not indicating what gave them probable cause. Lesure had a very small amount of marijuana in the home. He told RedState that the firearm in question was found in the attic and likely belonged to a previous tenant. He described it as “old” and “nonfunctional.”

This is not the first time the Senatobia Police Department has made headlines. In December, it came under scrutiny after officers arrested a 10-year-old boy for urinating in public. The child was kept in a cell while the officers filled out paperwork. A judge later sentenced him to three months’ probation.

Mark Lesure’s story further emphasizes concerns about police conduct. In this case, it raises questions about the legality of the police chief’s decision to walk into Lesure’s home without permission or a warrant.

For his part, Lesure intends to seek legal counsel to address the charges against him and potential civil rights violations. He told Red State:

It's crazy. It's like it's 'Twilight Zone' type of thing… You came over here, kidnapped me. You assaulted me. You lock me up for four days. Ransack my house, took my food truck, gave me a $17,000 bond. You see, I didn't attack him. I didn't touch him. I wasn't an aggressor. I didn't resist arrest. I never was arrested.

Lesure expressed a desire for justice and accountability, not just in his case, but in the broader issue of police behavior in Senatobia. His initial hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26^th.

Editor's note: This article was edited for content after publication.