The man who was shocked by a Reform, Alabama, police officer has spoken out about his harrowing experience that made him question if he would see his family again.
Earlier this month, Micah Washington’s arrest went viral on social media. The video, which was filmed by his brother at the scene, is only 45 seconds long and doesn’t show what happened before or after the arrest. In an article for Newsweek, the father of two daughters explained that he was changing the tire on the side of the road when the officer approached them and asked for ID.
“I asked her why would she need to see our ID if we’re just changing a tire on the side of the road. We weren’t doing anything wrong,” Washington, 24, said. “She came up with something, so I just gave her my ID because I didn’t want any problems with her. Once she got my ID, she also asked for my little brother’s who was there with me, and my co-defendant’s too.”
When he kept asking her the reason for needing everyone’s IDs, she allegedly began getting “aggressive” toward him, told him he was under arrest, and used a Taser on him, according to the report. Washington claims the officer, Dana Elmore, put her foot on his back. His brother then started recording, with Washington lying on the pavement.
He is ordered by Elmore, who is white, to stand and is escorted to her patrol car. After he placed his head and chest on the hood, the cop pointed the stun gun on his back while his hands were still restrained. He informed the officer that he had a weapon on him and the officer removed it from his body, and in the video is shown using a Taser on him.
Washington instantly started crying out, “Oh my God,” and the officer told him to “shut the f**k up.”
She continued, “You want it again? Shut the f**k up. You was big and bad. Shut your b***h a** up.”
“I’m like: Oh my god. Is she going to kill me? Is she going to hurt my little brother? Is he going to be OK? I honestly didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what she was going to do to us out there,” Washington wrote. “It wasn’t too much pain. I was just thinking: What is she going to do to us?”
Washington was sent to jail and hit with multiple charges, including drug trafficking, resisting arrest, possessing a firearm as a felon, marijuana possession and obstructing governmental operations. Despite this, he said he didn’t have any drugs.
His lawyer doubled down on his client’s innocence and emphasized that he had a legal weapon and was not a felon, according to CNN. Some of the initial charges were dropped. Now, the man’s attorney wants Elmore to be charged.
“There were some clear wrongdoings here and video of excessive force, assault, and battery, and there were some bogus charges placed on him, “attorney Leroy Maxwell Jr. told the outlet, adding, “We will not stop working until we clear Micah’s name and hold all responsible parties accountable.”
Elmore was placed on administrative leave “while an investigation is being conducted,” officials said. The Reform Police Department has requested the State Bureau of Investigation in Montgomery, Alabama, to look into the Dec. 2 arrest.
The entire situation has been a burden for Washington as he tries to move forward by going to therapy. He said he hasn’t received an apology and plans on pursuing legal action, per Newsweek.
“I want her to stand in front of a judge for what she did to me,” he said.
