A police officer in Fairfax County, Virginia, is facing possible prison time after using a stun gun on a black man without apparent provocation.
Tyler Timberlake has been charged with three counts of assault and battery for allegedly using excessive force during an arrest that took place on Friday. Chief of Police Col. Edwin Roessler Jr. released body camera footage of the arrest and said the video shows Timberlake acted in a manner that violated the department’s oath of office and 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 during a news conference over the weekend.
The body camera footage shows the unnamed black man speaking with EMTs who are attempting to get him medical attention. He appeared to be disorientated and was pacing in circles. The man said he needed to go to a detox center, and the medical professionals urged him to get into the ambulance to get help.
A second officer, Timberlake, arrived on the scene after several minutes of the EMTs and the first officer attempting to help the man. The body camera footage from the first officer shows Timberlake take out his stun gun and shoot the man, who fell to the street.
Timberlake then rolled the man onto his stomach and knelt on his back. While attempting to handcuff the man, Timberlake fired the stun gun into the man’s back again. The first officer and the EMT’s then worked together to restrain the man until he was placed in handcuffs.
The man repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe,” during the arrest.
Roessler said that every officer involved in the situation has been “relieved of duty” until a complete internal and criminal investigation is conducted. According to Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, Timberlake faces up to 36 months in prison.
“We can all agree that the footage of this incident is unsettling,” Descano said. “I want our community to know that we are pursuing charges that are in line with current law and supported by the evidence with which we have been presented. However, I also appreciate that this may not immediately reconcile our feelings about what we see.”
Descano also praised the department’s use of body cameras, saying, “Without it, I fear we would have had an unfortunately narrow and somewhat distorted view of what happened in one of our own neighborhoods.”
The man’s use of the phrase “I can’t breathe” drew comparisons to the recent death of George Floyd, which has led to protests against police brutality and racial inequality across the country and in cities around the world.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite his pleas for air.
The officer who pressed a knee to Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was fired from the department and has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers involved in detaining Floyd, who was suspected of using a fake $20 bill, were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
