Johnny Wheatcroft Arizona in Jail Again
Glendale police body-photographic camera video shows ii officers repeatedly using a Taser on a man in 2017 while his two frightened children watch — an incident that has prompted a federal lawsuit and 1 officeholder'south interruption.
Johnny Wheatcroft, 39, was with his wife, Anya Chapman, 36, their two children, ages half dozen and 11, and a family unit friend when Glendale Officers Matt Schneider and Marker Lindsey approached their machine later on a traffic terminate July 26, 2017, co-ordinate to the lawsuit and information provided by Glendale constabulary.
The video shows the officers asking Wheatcroft, the forepart-seat rider, to show them his driver'south license. He declined and questioned why he needed to identify himself.
Glendale police, in a statement released Fri, said Wheatcroft besides was reaching nether the seat for a backpack and officers asked him to cease.
Officers eventually threatened to use a Taser if Wheatcroft did not exit the vehicle, the video shows.
From there, the situation escalated, with police pulling him from the vehicle while his seat belt still was latched.
In the video, Wheatcroft can be heard saying, "I'm not doing nothing,'' repeatedly. As he is partway out of the vehicle, police begin using the Tasers, doing and then repeatedly every bit the human is pulled from the vehicle and then onto the ground equally his children can be heard screaming in the groundwork.
The newly released constabulary body-camera footage was provided toThe Arizona Republicon Fri by an attorney for the couple.
The incident prompted the federal lawsuit filed in Nov 2018, which claims constabulary used excessive force and violated Wheatcroft's civil rights. It contends Wheatcroft and his family suffered from trauma and physical and emotional damages.
Glendale police, in Fri'south statement, said after the traffic end, the officer discovered the commuter, who was the family friend, did not have a license and observed a seat-belt violation in the vehicle as well.
Police said Wheatcroft "exhibited verbal not-compliance by refusing to place himself and failed to obey the officer'south instructions," when he reached into a backpack despite officers telling him to stop.
This led to officers trying to remove Wheatcroft from the car "so they could maintain a prophylactic eye on him for the duration of the traffic stop besides as behave a pat down for weapons," co-ordinate to the argument from Glendale law.
Police said Chapman swung a pocketbook filled with bottled drinks at Officer Lindsey, knocking him unconscious, and causing Schneider to continue deploying the Taser equally he called for backup.
Law, while not releasing the body-cam video, did provide a surveillance-camera video of the incident that shows function of the confrontation from a altitude.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona by attorneys Marc Victor and Jody Broudas, alleges that the officers used "unlawful, unnecessary, unreasonable, and excessive force, which resulted in life-altering injuries to Plaintiff Johnny Wheatcroft and his family."
The lawsuit alleges that officers Tased Wheatcroft multiple times in the back and in the chest while on the hot cobblestone. A technique known every bit a "drive stun'' in which the Taser, normally fired from a distance, is pressed against a person, likewise was used, both police and the lawsuit say.
Afterward Wheatcroft was handcuffed, Officer Schneider continued to utilise the Taser several times, the lawsuit says.
Another officer then "slammed Wheatcroft confront downwardly onto the asphalt while Schneider continued to Tase him, while too kicking him in the groin," the lawsuit says.
The final Tasing occurred when Officer Schneider "pulled downwards Plaintiff's shorts and Tased his testicles and perineum," the lawsuit says.
As a group of officers began removing the Taser prongs, "Schneider placed his Taser on Johnny Wheatcroft'south penis and screamed, 'Keep fighting and you're going to get it once more! Yous want it again? Shut your mouth!' the lawsuit contends.
Police, in the statement, said Wheatcroft somewhen calmed downwardly and both he and Chapman were arrested.
They both initially were charged with aggravated assault and physically resisting arrest. The charges confronting Wheatcroft eventually were dismissed. Chapman pleaded guilty to a reduced count, according to Maricopa County Superior Courtroom records.
The lawsuit names the city of Glendale, Schneider, Lindsey and a third officeholder, MIchael Fernandez, equally defendants. The adjust does non specify a impairment corporeality being sought.
Glendale police said that later on the incident, Schneider was suspended for three days.
"The drive stun with the Taser device administered by the officeholder after the suspect was handcuffed and no longer resisting did not fall within our response to resistance policy,'' said Officer Tiffany Ngalula, a Police Department spokeswoman.
Lindsey, who was struck by the bottles, was treated at a hospital and returned to duty several days later, police said.
Afterward the couple had been taken to jail, officers found "a usable quantity of methamphetamine" inside the vehicle, according to the Law Department news release. Court records did not prove either Wheatcroft or Chapman facing a drug accuse.
Wheatcroft is currently in prison on an unrelated break-in accuse.
Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/glendale/2019/02/09/body-camera-footage-shows-glendale-police-taser-tactics-that-prompted-federal-lawsuit/2819346002/
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