Body cam captures struggle between officers, man who attacked a fire lieutenant

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Body camera footage is showing the aftermath of an incident where a Cedar Springs man allegedly assaulted a Grand Rapids fire lieutenant.

40-year-old Robert Daniel-Brent Joppe is facing a slew of charges for the attack, including resisting and opposing an officer causing serious injury, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting and opposing an officer.

Body camera footage shows the officers working to arrest Joppe and get him loaded into an ambulance.

The case goes back to Nov. 23, when law enforcement was called to the Grand Rapids Township fire station on East Beltline.

According to the Kent County Sheriff's Office, Joppe came to the fire station and was let inside by the lieutenant, who believed Joppe had come to work on their concrete.

The lieutenant was alone at the station, and deputies believe Joppe was under the influence of an illegal drug.

Court documents indicate during their conversation, the lieutenant asked Joppe if he was armed. Joppe then pulled a pistol from his waist and threw it between some ladders in the building, which the lieutenant retrieved and maintained control of.

Joppe then reportedly grew agitated and lunged towards the lieutenant, who later told deputies a "back-and-forth altercation" ensued, where he believed Joppe was trying to take back the firearm.

The two spun toward the open overhead door and the lieutenant threw the pistol outside into the grass.

Speaking with deputies, the lieutenant described Joppe shoving his thumb into his right eye, telling them he felt as if his "eye was being pushed into his brain cavity." He also described Joppe biting his arm at the same time.

The two then fell onto the floor, where the lieutenant held Joppe until law enforcement arrived.

During the scuffle, Joppe appears to be acting erratically and making bizarre statements throughout his arrest.

The body camera footage is from the first officer who arrived at the scene. It shows the officer walking into the fire department garage, where he found the lieutenant lying on top of Joppe to restrain him.

The lieutenant said his nose was bleeding, and Joppe could be seen bleeding heavily from a wound on his head. Blood can be seen smeared across the garage floor.

The officer works to put handcuffs on Joppe, but he continues to resist and yell before eventually allowing the officer to handcuff him.

Shortly after, the officer can be heard calling for animal control. A carrier with what appears to be blood on it is seen in the video, and Joppe said his cat was inside.

Throughout the video, he is restless, and alternates between cooperating with officers and resisting them. As he's placed onto a gurney, he can be heard apparently telling officers, "Thank you for helping me. I love you all."

After being loaded into an ambulance, Joppe asked about his cat and continued talking with officers.

The first officer on scene is later heard recalling the incident to other law enforcement, where he said Joppe was "just about as strong as an ox."

Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir later told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that the incident seemed to stem from a mental health issue.

"The subject was depressed and potentially suicidal, and that's why he reached out to law enforcement at first to get the assistance the subject needed, and then the situation just escalated out of hand real quickly after that," he said.

Joppe has been ordered to undergo a competency exam. If convicted on all charges, Joppe could face up to 32 years in prison and $19,500 in fines.