[Delta Dawn]

I reread the story again.

So, the police thought that the guy had been selling cigarettes illegally. Did the police have proof, that he was selling cigarettes illegally?

My concern here is, were the police in the process of making a formal arrest? or did they want to handcuff the guy so that they could continue their investigation to see if he had been engaged in illegal activity?

The handcuffs should only come out if the cops are in the process of making an arrest. I have seen too much of this where the cops handcuff someone for their own safety as the continue to troll for evidence.

If it turns out that this man was not engaged in illegal activity, then these cops should all go to jail. This, ‘Us’, against, ‘Them’, mentatlilty must end...

[wideawake]

The standard for arrest is not "proof" - that's a standard for conviction.

The standard for detaining someone is, and always has been, "probable cause."

[dragnet2]

My concern here is, were the police in the process of making a formal arrest?

I bet his concern was they continued choking him to death after he repeatedly gasped the words, "I can't breath" over and over.