“Excuse me?”
“I can call my dad myself.”
“You want to make this difficult?”
“I’m sitting here.”
Pike stepped closer.
“Hand me the phone.”
Jordan looked toward Bennett.
“Am I under arrest?”
Bennett answered first.
“No.”
Pike turned sharply.
“He’s detained.”
Jordan nodded.
“Okay. Am I required to give you my phone?”
Neither officer answered immediately.
Pike reached for it.
Jordan put his hand over the device.
“Please don’t.”
Pike grabbed his wrist.
Jordan jerked instinctively.
“Let go.”
“Stop resisting.”
“I’m not resisting. You’re hurting me.”
Pike pulled Jordan’s arm behind the side of the wheelchair.
The chair shifted.
Jordan grabbed the opposite wheel with his free hand to stop himself from tipping.
Pike interpreted that movement as another act of resistance.
“Both hands behind your back.”
Jordan stared at him.
“I can’t do that safely in this chair.”
“Do it.”
“My balance—”
“Do it now.”
Bennett stepped closer.
“Jared, maybe just cuff him in front if you think we need to—”
“He keeps grabbing things.”
“My wheelchair!” Jordan shouted. “I’m grabbing my wheelchair!”
Pike pulled harder.
The left side of Jordan’s body lifted away from the backrest.
His center of gravity shifted.
Jordan knew what was about to happen before either officer did.
“My chair is tipping.”
Pike said, “Stop fighting me.”
“I’m not—”
The wheelchair rolled sideways off the curb ramp.
The front caster dropped.
Jordan fell.
His right shoulder struck concrete first.
Then his hip.
The wheelchair landed partly on its side beside him.
For half a second, nobody moved.
Jordan made a sound that was more shock than pain.
Then Pike said, “Hands behind your back.”
Jordan looked up from the pavement.
“You knocked me out of my chair.”
“Stop moving.”
“My chair.”
“Hands.”
“I can’t get up.”
“I know that now.”
The sentence was quiet.
Almost sarcastic.
Officer Bennett stared at Pike.
“Come on, man.”
Jordan heard it.
So did Pike.
“What?”
Bennett lowered his voice.
“That was unnecessary.”
Pike pointed at Jordan.
“He pulled away.”
“He was falling.”
“He was resisting.”
Jordan pushed himself onto one elbow.
“My shoulder.”
Pike stepped forward.
“Stay down.”
“I’m not going anywhere!”
Pike took Jordan’s left wrist.
Jordan recoiled.
“Don’t.”
“Give me your hands.”
“My shoulder hurts.”
“You should’ve complied.”
That was when Ms. Reynolds came running through the library doors.
“What are you doing?”
Bennett turned.
“Ma’am, stay back.”
“That is one of my students!”
“Stay back.”