Stanley Gracius Wiki – Biography
Stanley Gaston Gracius is the Pennsylvania man who was arrested at a Walmart after purchasing a bicycle for his son. Witnesses recorded the arrest, which includes footage of an officer using a taser and later tying Gracius’ legs together with a belt. The videos have been widely shared on social media.
Gracius was born in 1983, according to court records. According to a Facebook page that appears to belong to Gracius, he attended Reading Senior High School and graduated in 2001. Gracius included the nickname “Stan the Man” on his Facebook page.
Stanley Gracius Age
Gracius was born in 1983.
Family
Gracius explained in the “details” section that he has three children, including a daughter and two sons. He wrote that he is self-employed and described his business as a type of investment strategy. “I love my biz, cuz it allows me to help ANYONE make this money. I’m looking for people who want more from life, than going to work, and punching a clock.”
Charged
Gracius is facing multiple charges related to the July 20 arrest. Berks County, Pennsylvania court records show Gracius was booked into the Berks County Prison and held on a $2,500 bond. The Berks County Sheriff, Eric Weaknecht, confirmed to Heavy via email that if Gracius could not make bail, he would be moved to the Berks County Jail.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for August 6. The charges include:
Aggravated Assault: First-degree felony, 2 counts
Disarming Law Enforcement Officer: Third-degree felony
Simple Assault: Second-degree misdemeanor, 2 counts
Resisting Arrest: Second-degree misdemeanor
Defiant Trespass: Third-degree misdemeanor
Disorderly Conduct/Engage in Fighting: Third-degree misdemeanor
Court records show Gracius was previously arrested in Berks County on similar charges. The Reading City Police Department arrested him in October 2014 on charges including resisting arrest, disarming a law enforcement officer, and defiant trespassing. Gracius pleaded guilty in that case. A representative for the Berks County Jail System confirmed to Heavy over the phone that Gracius served a few months behind bars.
Arrested
Stanley Gaston Gracius is the Pennsylvania man who was arrested at a Walmart after purchasing a bicycle for his son. Witnesses recorded the arrest, which includes footage of an officer using a taser and later tying Gracius’ legs together with a belt. The videos have been widely shared on social media.
Gracius repeatedly asked the officers why he was being detained and insisted over and over again that he had not done anything wrong. Witnesses were also heard off-camera expressing confusion about why Gracius was under arrest since he had paid for the bicycle and had a receipt to prove it. In a video shared to Reddit, one man remarked at least three times that Gracius was targeted because he is Black.
Gracius was outside of the Walmart with the officers for at least 10 minutes before he was placed in the police vehicle and driven away. In a video shared to Reddit, Gracius yelled out that he didn’t know why he was being arrested and asked someone to share the video on Facebook. He looked directly into the cellphone camera, stated his name, and explained that he went to Walmart to buy a bicycle for his son. Gracius said he used both cash and a credit card to pay for the bike.
A third officer arrived on the scene and Gracius asked him, “Why are your friends doing this to me?” The third officer told Gracius he had no idea why he was arrested, urged Gracius to remain calm and that they would figure it out.
This exchange goes on for several more minutes, with Gracius repeating that he had done nothing wrong and the officers repeatedly urging him to get in the vehicle. Gracius asked witnesses in the crowd to explain to him why he was being arrested and one person responded, “Because you’re black.” In the video embedded above, neither Gracius nor the police officers were heard on video mentioning race. At one point, Gracius accused the officers of “kidnapping” him.
FOLLOW UP: Wyomissing PA man racially profiled & arrested for riding a bike to the cash register in Walmart after paying for the bike from PublicFreakout
Eventually, the officers pushed Gracius into the vehicle but he refused to put his legs inside. One of the officers walked away and returned moments later with what appeared to be a leather belt. They used the belt to tie Gracius’ legs together. About eight and a half minutes into the video, Gracius yelled out, “They’re fastening my legs! I hope everybody sees this!” As they did so, one of the officers told Gracius not to kick him.
Statement
The Berks County District Attorney’s Office released a statement on Facebook defending the arrest and said the Wyomissing Police officers had “acted appropriately.” According to the prosecutor, a store manager had asked Gracius to leave because he was riding the bike through the aisles and “playing loud music and yelling profanities at other shoppers.” The officers arrived as Gracius was paying for the bike.
Videos that have circulated on Reddit and Twitter show what happened after two Wyomissing Police officers first approached Gracius. In one clip, Gracius was heard telling the two officers that he had paid for the bike. They asked him to put his hands behind his back and he responded, “Please stop!”
today in walmart (1135 berkshire blvd in Wyomissing, PA) the police unnecessarily used excessive force by tazing a black man who did NOTHING WRONG. (1) pic.twitter.com/MJ7q3vOPu0
— layla (@labousaab44) July 21, 2020
One of the officers used a taser on Gracius while the second officer put his hand on the back of Gracius’ head. Gracius yelled out “Why are you doing this to me” and “I paid for my stuff” as he was taken down to the ground.
Gracius kept insisting he had not done anything wrong as the officers pinned him to the ground and told him to stop resisting. At one point, Gracius shouted out that he hoped others could see what was happening. One of the officers was heard instructing Gracius to let them put the handcuffs on him, to which he again asked why he was being detained.
Once Gracius was back on his feet, with his hands behind his back in cuffs, he asked the crowd of witnesses to verify that they had seen him pay for the bicycle. He also insisted he had a receipt.
Gracius was never accused of stealing the bicycle, the Berks County District Attorney explained in a prepared statement shared to Facebook. The prosecutor explained that Wyomissing Police officers were called to the Walmart, located at 1135 Berkshire Boulevard, on July 20 because a customer was being disruptive inside the store.
A store manager told police Gracius had been “riding a bicycle through the store, playing loud music and yelling profanities at other shoppers.” She added that Gracius had hit shopping carts and nearly ran into other shoppers. The manager asked Gracius to leave but she says he responded, “You’re not going to tell me what to do.”
The district attorney wrote in the statement that the “Wyomissing Police showed restraint, acted professionally, and did a good job de-escalating the situation with the defendant, Stanley Gracius. Mr. Gracius did not in any manner abide by the requests of not only the store manager of Walmart but also the requests of the officers themselves.”
Critics on social media are calling on Walmart to release surveillance footage from inside the store in order for the public to see how Gracius was acting prior to the arrest.
