White officer charged after using stun gun on unarmed black man
Caution: Some may find video content distressing
A white police officer in the US has been charged with assault and battery after using a stun gun several times on an unarmed black man.
Fairfax County police in Virginia released bodycam footage of Friday’s incident over the weekend, showing an officer approach a disoriented man on a residential street, asking if he called for help.
An ambulance can be seen parked nearby and a paramedic also approaches the man telling him he is there to offer him help.
The man, who appears to be incoherent, tells them he needed “to detox” but refuses to go inside the ambulance.
Moments later, another officer, Tyler Timberlake, is seen approaching the man, striking him with a stun gun.
Later, Timberlake is seen getting on top of the unarmed man, pressing the stun gun into the back of his neck and firing again.
The man can be heard shouting "no" loudly and repeatedly.
The incident took place at a time of heightened tension across the US following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
During a news conference on Saturday, Chief of Police Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said the officer had committed “criminal acts” and violated “our oath of office”.
CNN quoted Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve T. Descano as saying that Timberlake, an eight-year veteran of the force, faces three charges of assault and battery in connection with the incident, facing up to 36 months in prison.
According to the CNN, the other officers at the scene were “relieved of duty” pending the results of criminal and administrative investigations.