LEWISTON — Police Chief David St. Pierre issued a statement Monday urging the community to be patient with the department’s investigation after the arrest of a 30-year-old Lewiston man went viral last weekend.

After being chased, Kon Maiwan was arrested April 18 and charged with disorderly conduct, refusing to submit to arrest and failure to provide a correct name. He was transported to Androscoggin County Jail and released on $200 cash bail.

Since his release, Maiwan shared a video of a confrontation with Lewiston Police Officer Parker Simoneau on social media. The video starts with Simoneau center of frame, hands on hips, as Maiwan confronts Simoneau about following him in his cruiser.

“Parker, what’s wrong with you, bro? Like, don’t make people nervous driving around,” Maiwan said.

Another officer, a female out of frame, asked Maiwan to “move along.” Lewiston police declined to name any other officers.

“No, I’m not moving along. You need to do your job better,” Maiwan responded. “Stop putting fear in the community.”

Simoneau responded to Maiwan verbally just once — “Yes” — affirming the unnamed officer’s statement Maiwan was yelling and needed to stop.

Maiwan, a Black man and Lewiston native, continued asking why the officers were following him, asking if that is how the law works. The unnamed officer said, “We’re not following you.”

Maiwan then stated Simoneau threatened him with arrest for disorderly conduct.

“Is that how you threat people?” Maiwan asked.

“You’re jumping to conclusions,” the unnamed officer said. “You need to kinda back off.”

“That man — disorderly? Look at what he is doing,” Maiwan said. “This guy needs to do a better job with his job.”

Maiwan started walking away from the officers and Simoneau followed while putting on black disposable gloves.

“Don’t do that,” Maiwan said continuing to back away. “That’s how you arrest? Bro, you don’t know who you’re messing with. Don’t take my rights away. Don’t take my rights away. You were following since I came home. You have no reason to be following me.”

Simoneau continued walking after Maiwan, which led both across a road and past the corner of a building. As Simoneau got close, Maiwan’s pace increased into a run.

“You have no reason to follow me, bro,” Maiwan shouted.

Another cruiser’s sirens can be heard approaching as Maiwan continued down a sidewalk passing a red sedan. As Simoneau caught up and apprehended Maiwan, Maiwan yells for him to stop several times followed by, “Please, I’m recording.”

Maiwan was put up against the hood of a police cruiser and told to put his hands behind his back. Seconds after, Maiwan’s phone appears to be taken away and set aside and then falls to the ground. The phone lands camera facing up under the back end of the cruiser.

“What’s going on?” Maiwan asked. “I didn’t do anything. I recorded the whole time.”

The very end of the video shows an unidentifiable unnamed officer picking up Maiwan’s phone and ending the recording.

The video has gone viral with several well-followed social media accounts, including famed Miss Maine USA pageant competitor Hamdia Ahmed, sharing the video. Project Relief Maine, formerly Black Lives Matter Maine, launched a GoFundMe campaign on Maiwan’s behalf, which has raised $16,125 of a $20,000 goal as of 4:49 p.m. Monday.

Investigation

In his news release Monday, St. Pierre acknowledged the video “suggests (Maiwan) was targeted and followed by police officers.” However, St. Pierre said the video is a “partial video clip.”

“While we understand, acknowledge and validate that the short clip may appear disturbing, it is not fully inclusive of all facts and circumstances of the interaction leading up to the arrest,” the release read.

St. Pierre said Simoneau was accompanied by a “Project Support You” counselor who was actively engaging with clients expecting to maintain confidentiality. Maiwan approached them during the counselor’s engagement with their clients, he said.

Police are investigating Maiwan’s civil rights complaint “through objective and thorough investigation of all the facts” to determine if Simoneau violated Maiwan’s rights, the release continued. When the investigation is complete, police will forward a complete report to Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office for review.

On Thursday, Maiwan published a post on Facebook page Lewiston Rocks seeming to address the incident. He wrote:

“I truly believe in the importance of caring for every individual in my community, whether we’re personally acquainted or not. And that’s why I feel a responsibility to use the platform available to me and raise my voice on behalf of the community … to make a positive impact and bring attention to the needs and concerns of those around me. I had posted some videos, but after some reflection, I realized that they could potentially cause harm. I didn’t fully understand the reach of my voice or the type of influence I had at the time, but now I’m committed to using it for good. I think it’s important for the police and the community to have a better relationship, and I want to be more involved in making that happen. I don’t want to be a part of the problem, but rather a part of the solution. To do that, I need to be understanding of all sides and perspectives. As a Christian, I believe in the importance of treating others with kindness and compassion. I want to live out those values in my actions and my words.”

Maiwan was hired by the city of Lewiston in 2022 as its economic development specialist and is reportedly an educator. A call to Maiwan’s personal phone was not answered or returned late Monday afternoon.

St. Pierre said in the release, “We want to remain as transparent as possible through this process; keeping in mind there is still an active criminal investigation into the conduct of Mr. Maiwan which prevents us from releasing further information or details at this time … I would ask that the community remain patient with this process.”

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