Video shows confrontation between Bay City Public Safety director, man

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - A new video is shedding light on what led to Bay City’s director of Public Safety being placed on administrative leave.

What unfolded Saturday resulted in a complaint from a resident.

The video has gained traction on social media. The confrontation took place on Ninth Street in front of Rivers Edge in Bay City.

In the video, Public Safety Director Michael Cecchini appears upset with an 18-year-old man because he thought he was disturbing the peace.

The 18-year-old was part of a group riding Bird scooters in the area and reportedly were making some noise.

In the video, Cecchini appears to jab the man with his flashlight. As the video continues, Cecchini admits to hitting the man with his flashlight.

The woman who recorded the video spoke with TV5 but wanted to remain anonymous.

“He was for sure abusing his power and I thought there was no way this was going to be able to go in our favor,” she said.

The man Cecchini took issue with did not want his name used either. He said he was caught off-guard when Cecchini poked him with the flashlight. He believes Cecchini should be fired.

“Yeah, probably,” he said. “That’s very, very not like acceptable for the chief of police to act like that.”

The woman who recorded the video said she believes Cecchini “screwed up” and should be held accountable.

TV5 reached out to Cecchini by texting his personal cellphone for a comment. At this time, Cecchini has not responded.

The city of Bay City said it is cooperating with state police during the investigation. TV5 also reached out to state police for a comment but have not heard back.

Officials say Cecchini was placed on leave per the city’s policy.

Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved.