Handcuffed man hit with stun gun by Alabama police after stopping to change tire freed from jail

Handcuffed man hit with stun gun by Alabama police after stopping to change tire freed from jail

A felony fentanyl trafficking charge against an Alabama man who was hit with a stun gun while he was handcuffed and face down on the hood of an officer’s police car has been dismissed.

Micah Washington, 24, still faces three additional charges that stem from his encounter with Reform police Officer Dana Elmore on Saturday, but he is out of jail on bond.

“He’s in good spirits but it’s tough,’’ Washington’s attorney, Leroy Maxwell Jr., told AL.com Wednesday. “He’s going through PTSD.”

The ordeal began when Johnson was changing a flat tire on a Pickens County roadway, not far from his aunt’s house, Maxell said. Johnson and others were going back and forth to the house to get equipment needed to change the tire when Elmore stopped to question Johnson.

Maxwell said the officer asked him what was going on and asked him for identification. Washington told the officer he was not doing anything wrong, knew his rights and didn’t have to provide that information if he wasn’t detained.

Washington pulled out his phone to start recording and Elmore used a stun gun on Washington, which caused him to drop to the ground. He was then handcuffed.

What happened next was caught on the now-viral video recorded by one of Washington’s family members.

The video begins with Elmore, identified through charging documents against Washington, ordering Washington “stand up” after he was handcuffed in the roadway in Pickens County.

She then tells him to lay down on the front of a vehicle, which he does face down.

The officer then holds a stun gun to Washington’s back while she goes through his pockets. She tells him to “stay still” at which point he says, “I ain’t doing shit, bro. I got a gun right there.”

Elmore laughs as she retrieves the gun and says, “Oh yea.”

She then deploys the stun gun directly into Washington’s back, telling him to “shut the (expletive) up” as he screams.

Washington then begins to cry, repeatedly saying, “Oh my God.”

The officer then says, “Do you want it again?” as Washington continues to cry. “Shut your bitch ass up,’’ the officer says.

That’s where the video ended.

Reform police Chief Richard Black and Mayor Melody Davis sent out a statement Monday acknowledging they are aware of the video of Washington’s arrest. Elmore remains on leave with pay.

“The department is in the process of turning over all materials related to this arrest to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation and has requested a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest,’’ the statement said.

Washington was initially charged with trafficking fentanyl, obstructing government operations, resisting arrest and first-degree possession of marijuana.

24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin filed a motion to dismiss the fentanyl trafficking charge, which was granted by District Judge Lance Bailey.

According to Hamlin’s motion, field testing on the substance indicated positive for fentanyl but addition testing failed to confirm the substance as fentanyl.

Washington was released from the Pickens County Jail on Tuesday. He posted this on his girlfriend’s Facebook page: “Thanks for the love & support fr. It’s really appreciated. I’m just happy to be free.”

Maxwell said he plans to file a $20 million lawsuit on behalf of Washington.

“These occurrences of excessive force happen every day,’’ Maxwell said. “Fortunately, this one was caught on film.”

“We will not stop working until we clear Micah’s name and hold all responsible parties accountable,’’ he said. “In addition to abuse of force, we have evidence that false criminal charges were created against Micah.”