A Native American man who was taking a stroll with his sister was tased by a park ranger in New Mexico after stepping off the walking trail on a national park, according to video released Tuesday.
Former Marine and member of the Oneida and Navajo tribes, Darrell House and his sister had gone for a walk Sunday afternoon with their dog at the Petroglyph National Monument where House often comes to pray and meditate. House saw a group of incoming walkers and stepped off the trail in order to practice social distancing, NBC News reported.
In a nine-minute video posted on the National Park Service website, body camera footage shows the park ranger approaching House and his sister to tell them why he wants them to remain on the trail. House walks away several times during the discussion before the ranger tases him.
A park ranger was seen on video tasering a Native American man who said he was walking his dog with his sister at a national monument in New Mexico on Sunday. https://t.co/VEepOW4MsJ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 29, 2020
During the video, the ranger asks House and his sister to show identification. House walks off while the ranger is still speaking to him.
“Sir, you are not free to go right now,” the ranger can be heard saying. “Hold on, hold on, hold on.”
As the ranger begins to try to get both House and his sister to provide him with their identification, House explains, “There was a group of people coming in, so I didn’t want to interact with them … Because I know we are social distancing.”
After initially refusing to provide the ranger with his identification, both House and his sister provided the ranger with false information regarding House’s name and date of birth, NBC News reported.
The ranger then catches up with House who started to walk way and asks him again for more information regarding his identification. The ranger asks House to give the dog to his sister.
“Stop walking,” the ranger says. “Stop walking or you may be tased,” he continues.
A video recorded by House’s sister was posted to Instagram and also shows the ranger repeatedly tasing House. The sister is heard pleading with the ranger to stop. (RELATED: Officers Who Tased A Man Over 50 Times Charged With Murder Almost A Year Later)
“I don’t have anything,” House shouts several times.
House eventually sits on the ground.
“I apologize for going off the trail,” he says.
“You’re being detained because you refused to identify yourself,” the ranger says.
At the end of the video, another ranger comes to handcuff House.
“I didn’t see a reason to give my identification. I don’t need to tell people why I’m coming there to pray and give things in honor to the land. I don’t need permission or consent,” House explained to NBC. “And I don’t think he liked that very much.”