Tasing of handcuffed Black man by police âjust another normal day in Reform, Alabama,â lawyer says
The aunt of a 24-year-old Alabama man who was tased on the hood of a police car while he was face down and handcuffed said the incident is shocking and has changed her nephew.
“We see it happening to other people but when it happens to your family member, it hits a lot different,’’ said Cassundra Pope, Micah Washington’s aunt.
“I hate this happened to my nephew but at the same time, it needed to be out in the open,’’ Pope said. “He’s not the first, and if it wasn’t caught on video, he wouldn’t be the last.”
“It has done something to him,’’ Pope said. “He’s quiet. He’s not as active as he used to be.”
“I guess it’s God’s timing,’’ she said. “We’re hoping that putting this out there will put an end to it.”
Pope spoke Thursday during a press conference hosted by the NAACP and Washington’s attorneys outside of Reform City Hall.
The NAACP is asking that the officer, who is on administrative leave with pay, be fired and permanently banned from being in law enforcement. The group is also for a thorough, but swift, investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and for additional training for officers.
“You’ve heard of driving while Black, shopping while Black, and now we see changing a tire while Black can get you in trouble and get you tased,’’ said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP.
“We support law enforcement when they are right,’’ Simelton said. “But when they are wrong, we call them out on it.”
Washington, his 17-year-old brother Shikeem, and a friend were driving along County Road 27 in Pickens County on Dec. 2 when they stopped to change a flat tire. The location was not far from Washington’s aunt’s house.
Reform police Officer Dana Elmore stopped and demanded identification from Washington, attorney Leroy Maxwell Jr. said. Washington asked why that was necessary and stated that he had done nothing wrong.
Sensing hostility, Maxwell said, Washington’s teen brother started recording the interaction.
The video begins with Elmore ordering Washington to “stand up” after he was handcuffed in the roadway in Pickens County.
She then tells him to lie 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 yeah.”
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.
Attorney Maxwell called the tasing of Washington “unconscionable” and “sadistic.”
“This officer thought she could get away with something,’’ Maxwell said. “She thought there’d be no eyes on this, this is just another normal day in Reform, Alabama.”
Maxwell on Thursday said Elmore’s husband, a Pickens County sheriff’s deputy, also was at the scene that day and handcuffed and arrested Washington’s teen brother and the other person with them.
Repeated efforts to reach Pickens County sheriff’s officials for comment on whether the officer’s husband is facing any disciplinary action have been unsuccessful.
Washington was initially charged with trafficking fentanyl, obstructing governmental operations, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges of drug trafficking and gun possession charges have been dismissed. Maxwell said Washington has never been convicted of a felony.
“We know but for this film, he would still be behind bars now and his life would have been changed forever,’’ Maxwell said. “He would be looked at as a drug lord essentially and that’s what they wanted to paint him as.”
Maxwell said they will be filing a $20 million lawsuit for excessive force, assault and battery and malicious prosecution.
“We’ve got to make this wrong right,’’ the attorney said. “I don’t know if they (Pickens County) can afford it and I don’t care if they can afford it. The whole point is to make everyone uncomfortable to make change.”
“If you’re going to hire police officers with no accountability,” Maxwell said, “you’re going to pay for it.”
Maxwell said when Washington was bonded out of jail last week, he was still wearing the white t-shirt that had holes in it from the stun gun.
“He can’t believe this was him,’’ the attorney said. “While he was on the hood of the car crying out for his life, he thought that was going to be his last day.”
Simelton said the NAACP is requesting the U.S. Department of Justice conduct a civil rights investigation, said Elmore should be prosecuted.
“It’s clear Micah’s civil rights were violated,’’ Simelton said. “It must stop.”
Washington declined to comment at the press conference, but through his attorney thanked everyone for the support they have shown him.
“He had swelling, bruising and treated at emergency care to tend to his wounds,’’ Maxwell said. “He is slowly healing physically, but mentally he’s got a long way to go. We’re going to make sure he’s taken care of.”