Micah Washington, a then-24-year-old Black man from Alabama, was altering a tire on the aspect of the street when he ended up tasered and arrested on fabricated felony costs by a white husband-and-wife legislation enforcement crew from separate businesses in 2023.
The arrest was captured on a disturbing video recorded by Washington’s brother who was 16 on the time, exposing a sadistic aspect of Reform police officer Dana Elmore the place she expressed pleasure and pleasure as she tasered a handcuffed Washington within the again for a number of lengthy seconds, inflicting him to cry out in ache.
“Would you like it once more?” taunted Elmore. “Shut the f_ck up, you was huge and unhealthy. Shut your b_tch ass up.”
After inserting Washington at the back of her patrol automotive, she contacted her husband, Jody Elmore, who was then nonetheless a Pickens County sheriff’s deputy. Jody Elmore arrived and handcuffed the youthful brother earlier than inserting him at the back of a patrol automotive.
The 2 cops then ran to Washington’s aunt’s residence, which was close by and arrested Jacorian Henry, who had been a passenger within the automotive and was serving to change the tire, however who then ran to the aunt’s home at Washington’s request to get assist.
On Monday, Washington’s attorneys filed a $20 million lawsuit towards the 2 cops in addition to the town of Reform, a municipality of lower than 2,000 individuals in West Alabama, accusing the 2 officers of extreme drive, unreasonable search and seizure, malicious prosecution, deliberate indifference, assault and battery, false imprisonment and negligence.
Based on an announcement printed together with the lawsuit filed by the Maxwell Tillman Legislation Agency in Birmingham, Alabama:
My purchasers have been altering a flat tire on the aspect of County Street 27 in Pickens County when approached by Officer Dana Elmore. They weren’t bothering anybody, weren’t inflicting a disturbance, and had not dedicated any crime. Nonetheless, as seen on viral video footage, Officer Elmore tased Micah Washington in his again as he laid on the entrance of her patrol automobile handcuffed, unarmed, and utterly compliant.
After unlawfully tasing and arresting Mr. Washington, Officer Elmore referred to as her husband, who was a Pickens County Sheriff’s Deputy, to the scene as again up. The 2 then unlawfully detained S.W. and arrested Jacorien Henry.
After clearly violating my purchasers’ constitutional rights, Officer Elmore maliciously initiated and bolstered clearly false felony costs towards Mr. Washington and Mr. Henry to make their bonds unreasonably excessive. The Pickens County District Lawyer’s Workplace nearly instantly dismissed costs that considerably decreased their bonds. Since then, Mr. Henry’s remaining costs have been dismissed, and we totally anticipate the remaining costs towards Mr. Washington to be dismissed as nicely.
Washington and Henry have been jailed for 3 days on the fabricated costs of trafficking in fentanyl in addition to different misdemeanor costs.
Washington was additionally charged with being a felon is possession of a gun when he had by no means been arrested earlier than in his life and possessed a legally owned gun.
The felony costs have been dismissed towards each males on the second day however Washington stated he stays traumatized by the incident, particularly by the video that reveals him crying out in ache as Dana Elmore tasered him within the again for a number of lengthy seconds.
“I don’t like seeing the video, prefer it simply do one thing to me,” Washington stated in a video interview with WBMA. “I can watch it however like with the sound on, no, I can’t do it.”
Sadly, Alabama has a protracted historical past of police abuse towards Black residents, particularly after they have dedicated no crimes and refuse to supply their identifications upon demand which is their authorized proper.
Watch the video of Washington’s arrest beneath.
The Arrest
The incident occurred on Dec. 2, 2023 as Washington and Henry have been driving down County Street 27 in Pickens County to go to Washington’s aunt after they skilled a flat tire.
Already inside strolling distances from the aunt’s home, the 2 males walked over and recruited Washington’s youthful brother, recognized within the lawsuit as S.W., to assist them change the tire.
As they have been altering the tire, Dana Elmore pulled up within the patrol automotive and the 2 Black males assumed she was going to assist them.
As an alternative, she demanded Washington’s identification, though he had been doing nothing to offer her an affordable suspicion he had dedicated a criminal offense.
Washington, at first, questioned why she would demand his identification however she grew to become much more hostile so he complied out of worry for his security.
He additionally began recording on his telephone which made her extra enraged, in line with the lawsuit.
Officer Elmore grew to become irate and extra aggressive as Mr. Washington started to movie the encounter. Officer Elmore then deployed her taser into Mr. Washington’s particular person for a number of seconds and demanded that he get on the bottom.
Mr. Washington cried and screamed out for assist. He exclaimed, “I’ve by no means been shot earlier than!” (referring to the taser).
He additionally requested Officer Elmore, amid pleading for her to cease, “Why do you will have your toes on my again? I’m not even doing something. We’re out right here altering a tire!”
Officer Elmore mocked Mr. Washington as he requested her why she was being so aggressive. Officer Elmore demanded that Mr. Washington “shut the f-ck up or [she] would tase [him] once more.”
That was when Henry, the passenger in Washington’s automotive, ran to the aunt’s home to get assist as Washington’s youthful brother started recording.
The brother’s video begins with Dana Elmore lifting a handcuffed Washington who was face down on the road after she had tasered and arrested him. She then led him to the entrance of her patrol automotive and started looking by means of his pockets.
Washington, a authorized gun proprietor, knowledgeable her he had a gun which made her excited.
“Oh yeah!” she exclaimed as she eliminated the gun.
“Whatcha saying ‘oh yeah’ for?” Washington requested as she started tasering him once more within the again whereas holding his head down towards the automotive together with her different hand.
“Oh my god!” Washington yelled out in ache earlier than sobbing on the hood of the patrol automotive.
“You need it once more?” she threatened though she had no justification to taser him within the first place contemplating he was already handcuffed and never being combative or elusive.
As soon as her husband arrived and detained Washington’s youthful brother by inserting him at the back of a patrol automotive, they ran to the aunt’s home the place they banged on the entrance door, threatening to kick it in.
Henry stepped out voluntarily and was arrested on costs of resisting arrest, trying to elude, marijuana possession, and drug trafficking fentanyl.
Washington was booked on costs of obstructing governmental operations, resisting arrest, marijuana possession, being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, and drug trafficking fentanyl.
The lawsuit states that the cops fabricated the felony fentanyl costs together with the false gun cost to be able to hold them in jail on a $505,000 bond which they may not afford. Luckily, the felony costs have been dismissed two days later which decreased the quantity of the bond they usually have been launched the next day.
Washington’s youthful brother, S.W., was launched after being handcuffed and positioned at the back of a patrol automotive however was additionally left traumatized and has since been prescribed remedy for nervousness, the declare states.
“My purchasers are clear victims of police misconduct, racial bias, and systemic racism,” Washington’s attorneys stated in an announcement.
“They have been focused for merely current as African American males. As we acknowledged earlier than, we won’t cease relentlessly pursuing justice for Micah Washington, Jacorien Henry, and S.W. till each celebration accountable is held accountable for his or her accidents.”
