CPH student to file complaint against Arcata Police Department

A Cal Poly Humboldt student was tased multiple times including on his neck, broke his toe and was left in painfully tight handcuffs for hours when Arcata Police Department (APD) officers entered his Arcata home on Aug. 26, ending in an arrest. As of publication, no one has explained why police were there that day. The student Rata Bey Meniooh has an arraignment set for Oct. 22.

Meniooh, a history education major, said the altercation began after a verbal argument with his roommate, who Meniooh believes called the police. Meniooh said the call most likely concerned threats that he made to his roommate about his dog during the argument.

Meniooh plans to represent himself at his hearing and file a complaint against APD through the district attorney’s office. Besides monetary damages, he would also like a public apology from the officers involved.

“Having to have them see my face, because that would do something about the inhumane treatment, having them look at me, like, you human just like me,” Meniooh said.

The Humboldt County Courthouse online case portal shows Meniooh was charged with a single misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an executive officer, filed Sept. 4.

Meniooh described the event on Aug. 26

An officer entered his garage and demanded his name. Meniooh declined and repeatedly asked why the officer was there. The officer then told him that he was under arrest and shoved him into a wall, which created a hole in the drywall.

The officer called for backup, and Meniooh entered his home, awaiting the other officers who arrived at his front door.

“I opened the door, his two partners came in full throttle, just totally aggressive. I was at that point when I saw there was no talking. It was just aggressive. Aggressiveness,” Meniooh said. “ I submitted and got down on my knees saying, ‘Okay, okay, okay, okay, I’ll be under arrest.’ But at this point, there was no stopping him. He was already angry and frustrated, so they just went on and attacked me, and forced me down to the ground, which I was already submitting and going to the ground.”

The officers forced Meniooh onto his stomach. One officer bent his ankles towards his buttocks. Another officer knelt on his head and back while grabbing Meniooh’s neck. The third officer began tasing blindly, striking another officer multiple times, before shocking Meniooh in the back of the neck multiple times.

“In that moment, on the ground, getting tased, the only thing you can do is feel is calm, because when you’re in, when you’re forced to submit, and then to force comes, it’s a life or death thing,” Meniooh said. “I mean life or death because you’re in the position your legs are bent, your arms are behind your back. It’s kind of like man, I can’t do nothing. You guys can take full advantage of me.”

Jail booking records show Meniooh was arrested for resisting arrest, failure to identify and obstructing an officer.

Meniooh requested paramedics, who asked officers to loosen his handcuffs, but were refused. Hospital records provided by Meniooh, dated Aug. 28, list a fractured right toe, neck pain and bruising in his diagnoses.

APD’s Response

APD Lieutenant Keith Altizer confirmed on Oct. 1 by phone that APD was called to the scene on Aug 26, but was unable to confirm the context of the call due to the ongoing investigation.

Altizer said he could not comment on the case because there is currently an ongoing criminal investigation. He did confirm that the arrest was made, but that officers’ names can’t be released at the moment.

Meniooh said he made multiple attempts to obtain his arrest records from APD, but was denied.

Altizer said records requests are handled by the department’s records bureau under state law, with criminal case materials typically released through court discovery.

El Leñador reached out to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office but has not received a response by publication deadline.

This story is still developing, we will have additional updates online. We plan to investigate campus resources that can help students in police situations.