Timeline of Bob Samples' Evolving Claims

Brian Massey, a student at UMSL, was beaten by campus police officers on November 17. He was then charged with assault and "resisting arrest," even though numerous witnesses have said that he did not initiate contact or resist the police officers.

On November 29, in the Current (the UMSL Student Newspaper)University Spokesperson Bob Samples claimed only that Massey grabbed the police officer's arm:

“During the response, the lead officer observed an individual whose presence elevated the anxiety of the student in crisis. Building and radio station officials asked the individual to leave the area. When he refused, two officers were asked to intercede,” Samples said. “The individual was not cooperative. In the process of determining identification, the individual in question grabbed the arm of an officer. The officer advised the individual that he was under arrest for assault.”

On November 29, the official letter to Brian Massey detailing his "misconduct" said that Massey had "attempted" to grab an officer's arm and had "jerked and pulled back":

As the officer attempted to read your identification card, you attempted to grab hold of the officer's wrist and take the identification card out of his hand. The officer then attempted to arrest you for the incident. Multiple witnesses observed you resisting arrest by jerking, pulling back, and shouting at the officers.

On Dec. 11, after talking KMOX into editing out witness testimony from their story, Samples claimed that Massey "tried to strike an officer:"

Samples says Massey grabbed the right wrist of an officer and was told he was under arrest.

Police say, as Massey was being handcuffed, he swung around and tried to strike an officer.

And now, on December 15, Samples tells KSDK that Massey "stepped on the foot of an officer, injuring that officer."

Funny how he forgot to mention all of this stuff until this last week, isn't it?