An unidentified Clayton County sheriff’s deputy has been fired after video showed him hitting a black man that officers had pinned during an arrest in Georgia, according to the sheriff’s department.
Roderick Walker, 26, was reportedly a passenger in a car that was pulled over for a broken tail light on Friday his attorney said, the New York Post reported. The deputy was fired after a bystander’s video circulated on social media, according to the county sheriff’s office.
“The Deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker is being terminated from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office by order of Sheriff Victor Hill for excessive use of force,” Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill said in a press release. “This is the administrative action. The criminal investigation of this matter will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office.”
Clayton GA deputies pulled over a Lyft driver, but then beat the Black PASSENGER. Officers pressed his face on the PAVEMENT & punched him repeatedly because he didn’t have his ID. Unbelievable… ANOTHER Black man saying “I can’t breathe” while being ASPHYXIATED by police!! pic.twitter.com/WGCs5wEqzx
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 12, 2020
Walker’s girlfriend, stepson, and five-month-old were with him in the car his lawyer said, according to the Post. (RELATED: Bridgeport Police Chief Arrested For Rigging Hiring Process In His Favor)
Though he wasn’t driving, the deputies reportedly asked for Walker’s ID and became upset when Walker asked them why they needed it, Walker’s lawyer said, according to the Post.
Walker was arrested for battery and suspicion of obstructing officers, the Post reported. Walker was held without bond due to a felony probation warrant for cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and a failure to appear warrant, according to the sheriff’s office.
A sheriff’s office in Georgia says it has fired a deputy seen on video repeatedly punching a Black man during a traffic stop. The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy, whom it did not name, was fired for using excessive force. https://t.co/FRv9zrMBdy
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 13, 2020
“The Sheriff ordered a signature bond courtesy for Mr. Walker 48 hours ago,” Hill said, according to the press release. “Mr. Walker’s legal counsel will have to resolve these issues to secure his release.”
The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office will conduct a criminal investigation of the incident, according to the sheriff’s office, the Post reported.
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