Updated as of 12/9/2023 at 4:00 p.m. ET
Micah Washington, the man who was seen in a viral video crying while being shocked by a stun gun, finally spoke out since the traumatizing incident.
Washington told WBMA he was on his way to pick up his brother on Dec. 2 when his tire had a bad blowout. When he was approached by Reform Police Officer Dana Elmore and demanded to show ID, he said he was confused because it wasn’t a traffic stop. He still gave his ID but asked the officer why she wanted it.
Following that moment were the events of the viral video where Washington is seen being detained and at some point, taunted with a stun gun.
“The only thing that was going on in his mind was George Floyd, George Floyd, George Floyd. Because at one point, [Elmore] had her foot on his back while [he was lying] on the ground. And then he was having a hard time breathing. And he was yelling that, and that prompted his brother to start recording,” said Washington’s attorney, Leroy Maxwell, to ABC News.
Elmore’s behavior isn’t the only sketchy thing about this incident. In her arrest report, she claimed she found seven grams of cocaine and fentanyl on Washington, resulting in a fentanyl trafficking charge. However, a judge granted his motion to dismiss the charge because he failed to test positive for fentanyl, ABC’s report found.
Elmore is on leave pending the investigation and Washington is left mentally recovering from the incident.
“I try to act OK but I am really traumatized. I don’t know how to feel about police now,” he told WBMA. “I just want justice. I would love an apology.”
What Happened?
Washington was approached by Reform, Ala. police while trying to fix his tire and ended up being shocked in the back with a stun gun. Now, the department is investigating whether that cop did too damn much.
Micah Washington, 24, told WVTM13 he and his girlfriend were pulled over on the side of the road when a white woman officer from the Reform (how ironic) Police Department approached them. The video of the interaction shows Washington being picked up off the ground by the officer while handcuffed behind his back. He’s then ordered to bend over the hood of the police cruiser.
“I ain’t doing s—t bruh. I got a gun right there. I’m not doin’ nothing,” he said, referring to the firearm sitting on the hood of his car.
“Haha! Oh yeah!” the officer exclaimed with a sarcastic grin on her face.
“What the f-ck you sayin’ oh yeah for?” Washington responded. Before he could finish his question, the officer shocked him with a stun gun directly into his back while yelling “Shut the f-ck up!” Washington begins wailing in pain while the officer glances about and appears seemingly unfazed by the camera filming her.
“You want it again? Shut the f-ck up. If you was big and bad, then shut your bitch ass up,” the officer says.
Watch the full video on X:
Washington was hit with five charges including resisting arrest and possession of a firearm while being an ex-felon, according to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
Police Chief Richard Black said in a statement that he was aware of the video and the department is turning over all materials related to the matter to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation for review, according to NBC News. The officer, who hasn’t been named, was placed on leave pending investigation.
Add to the list of things you can’t do while Black: change a tire.