Virginia Officer Charged With Assault After Using Stun Gun On Black Man During Arrest
Yet another white police officer has come under fire for his use of excessive force while executing an arrest. This time, Fairfax County police Officer Tyler Timberlake has been charged with assault and battery after using a stun gun to arrest a Black man. The man’s outcry was the eerily familiar saying, “I can’t breathe.”
Fairfax County police were quick to release body camera video from the incident which occurred on Friday, June 5 and shows several EMT workers trying to get the man into an ambulance, reports CNN.. Without provocation, Timerberlake fired his stun gun at the man, who remains unidentified.
The video first shows the man wandering the streets seemingly unaware of his surroundings. Timberlake can be seen coming out of his patrol car, addressing the man who appears to be incoherent. Then another officer approaches, but upon seeing Timberlake, turns away. Moments later, the video shows Timberlake using his stun gun while the man falls to the ground yelling,”No, no, no.”
The video also shows Timberlake using the stun gun to hit the man while they are both on the ground as he mounts the man. Once on top of him, Timberlak uses the stun gun again, this time pressing it against the man’s neck. The man can then be heard yelling, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe," as Timberlake and EMT workers get off of him.
After seeing the video, Chief of Police Col. Edwin C. Roessler Jr. acknowledged that this officer did not comply with the department’s approved use of force policies and that his actions, "ignored the sanctity of human life."
"The video also erodes the public's trust of police officers, not only in Fairfax County, but throughout this world. These acts are unacceptable," Roessler said. He also mentioned that he has called the victim and his mother and expressed his "disgust" with the officer's actions. The man has subsequently been released from the hospital.
Once again, standing behind a “blue code of silence,” the other officers on the scene did nothing in response to Timberlake’s actions. As a result and sticking with department policy, they were all "relieved of duty" pending the results of criminal and administrative investigations, Roessler said.
In response to this situation, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, issued the three counts of assault and battery against Timberlake which he says, according to TIME, could yield a 36-month sentence if convicted.
“I can assure you that I am personally following this case closely to ensure a thorough prosecution and outcome, especially during these trying times,” Descano said.
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