State authorities in Oklahoma are investigating after a man was aggressively tackled to the ground and handcuffed earlier this month for simply taking a walk with his 6-year-old autistic son as part of their regular morning routine.
Weeks after the July 4 incident, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is reviewing police bodycam footage to determine whether the officers were justified in detaining John Sexton or if they profiled him and violated his civil rights.
Either way, the incident transformed the innocent father-son stroll into a tumultuous confrontation with police, leaving the man’s son screaming in tears.
The Watonga Police Department released a video of the encounter on July 24, and the footage has since gone viral on social media.
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. when two Watonga Police Department officers confronted John Sexton in an alley for being outside before sunrise, claiming he looked suspicious, even though he had his young son at his side.
“Just found it a little bit suspicious, you know,” one of the officers said to Sexton, who immediately responded, “What?”
“Just walking around,” the officer replied.
“Walking around is a little bit suspicious?” Sexton asked, briefly putting the officer on the spot.
“Technically, not really. But I mean, it is pretty early in the morning,” the officer came back after a long pause.
Sexton quickly explained that he and his special-needs child were just walking like they do every day.
Despite the plausible explanation, the officer didn’t buy his story.
“You’ve been coming down here at 5:30 in the morning, walking around?” he asked, still skeptical.
“Yeah, we do that,” Sexton explained.
“No, you’re not,” the officer cut him off suddenly. “Give me your ID.”
But Sexton didn’t have his ID, which escalated the situation.
“I’ll take you to jail for failure to identify,” the officer warned.
Fed up, Sexton began arguing.
“I don’t have my ID on me ’cause it’s at the house,” the man snapped, frustration in his voice.
He tugged at his shorts to prove that nothing was in his pockets.
The boy, meanwhile, was standing just a few feet away, quietly watching and listening.
Suddenly, the officer grabbed Sexton by the arm and wrestled him to the ground with a leg sweep, even though Sexton never appeared to make a move or resist, causing the small boy to cry.
It’s unclear whether the officers will face charges or internal discipline due to the ongoing investigation into the matter.
Sexton said his son remains traumatized by the incident
Once Sexton was handcuffed, the arresting officer placed him in the back seat of his double cab patrol truck. There, Sexton protested his wrongful arrest in front of his son, emphasizing that he had committed no crime.
“Shut up and listen just a minute,” the officer scoffed. “We had small enough suspicion to identify you.”
“What was I being detained for?” Sexton asked.
“We don’t know what you were doing! We can call it criminal activity,” the officer answered confidently.
Eventually, the officers released the man, but the damage was done.
Sexton said the incident left his son deeply hurt, emphasizing that he hasn’t been the same since witnessing the ordeal.
“He’s been a cop for Halloween for the last two years. That’s what he’s been wanting to be when he grows up. That’s what he says, and now he’s scared of them,” Sexton said, according to ABC affiliate KOCO News 5.
Watonga Police Chief Beth Massey declined to comment on the incident when contacted by the station.
Sexton said he is considering pressing charges over the incident.
“Horrible. I mean, it’s horrible to see my son, you know, crying like that and just having my rights violated like that,” Sexton said.
KOCO 5 withheld the names of the officers because formal charges had not been filed in the case.
Sexton had active warrants in Kay, Woods, and Osage counties for traffic-related offenses, which typically do not necessitate an arrest.
