Hale and Brooks interviewed Harlan at his home. Simone offered coffee and stepped into the garden to give them privacy after her father said he was comfortable speaking alone. Hale explained the possible scope of a civil-rights inquiry. He asked Harlan to describe the encounter as though the investigators knew nothing about his past career. Harlan did so, beginning with the baker and the honey and ending with the arrival of the paramedics.
"Did you identify yourself as a former federal officer before Mr. Langford used force?" Hale asked.
"No. I told him I had worked in law enforcement only generally."
"Why?"
"Because it was not relevant to whether he could help me clear the street."
Brooks asked about his words after the wallet was opened. Harlan acknowledged that he had told Derek he had made a serious mistake and that formal accountability would follow. He also admitted he had felt angry. He had not attempted to conceal his emotion or suggest that he was above ordinary human reactions. The agents wrote his answers down without comment. Harlan respected that more than flattery.
Brooks then asked if he had deliberately stopped in the crosswalk knowing the officer was approaching. Harlan said no, describing the bag's position and his attempt to retrieve the rag. The investigator asked whether the crossing signal might have changed while he was stationary. He said it probably had. She asked whether the officer might reasonably have wanted the roadway cleared. Harlan said yes, but that wanting the roadway cleared did not justify grabbing a wheelchair or threatening to throw its occupant onto glass.
The agents did not argue. Their questions were designed to find every weakness the defense might later raise, and Harlan understood the necessity. When they finished, he asked whether the other complainants were being heard. Hale confirmed that their evidence was under review but would not discuss confidential accounts. Harlan nodded. He could accept a boundary from investigators who were trying to conduct a proper case.
The most revealing new evidence came from a departmental computer rather than the street. Brooks compared Derek's original incident report, entered two hours after the encounter, with an earlier draft saved automatically by the system. The initial draft claimed that Harlan had driven his wheelchair toward the officer. A later version removed that sentence and replaced it with language saying the officer had attempted to move the chair for safety reasons. Both drafts described Harlan as verbally hostile, an allegation contradicted by multiple recordings.
Derek had not simply remembered events differently. The records suggested he had altered his account after learning that video and witnesses existed. Wyatt considered whether the revisions supported an additional allegation of false reporting or obstruction. He decided not to announce anything until the investigative record was complete. Brooks collected the system logs and documented access to the report. Small digital timestamps, almost invisible to the public, could matter more to the eventual case than the viral footage.
Hale interviewed Thorpe about his previous attempts to discipline Derek. The chief produced the complaint files and acknowledged the department's failures to obtain evidence promptly. He did not claim that every earlier allegation was proven.