By Police1 Staff
RAINBOW CITY, Ala. — Police released body camera footage of a traffic stop after a Facebook post claimed officers beat the suspect and pushed him off a bridge.
Police Chief Jonathon Horton told Alabama Media Group that he discovered a Facebook post Friday morning claiming that officers beat the suspect “half to death,” TASERed him and pushed him off a bridge. He released the video Friday night to refute those claims.
An officer pulled over a female driver for a broken tail light Thursday when he noticed the male passenger was acting nervous, the publication reported. When the officer asked for the passenger’s ID, the male suspect said he didn’t an Alabama driver’s license. He then provided police with a name and date of birth.
When nothing came back from a search of the passenger’s name, the man produced an ID that didn’t match his appearance. He told the officer he lost some weight while in jail. Police then interviewed the female driver and male passenger separately. The woman gave the police the passenger’s real name, and police discovered a probation revocation for two felony warrants upon running the name.
Video shows the suspect fleeing across two lanes of traffic as the officer approaches him. The man is seen jumping over a barrier, dropping nearly 19 feet. Another officer pursued the suspect who continued to flee and ignored commands to show his hands. A TASER was deployed to detain the suspect.
Police told dispatchers to send a medic and the man was taken to a local hospital. Horton said it looks like his injuries were from the 19-foot fall.
“He jumped off the bridge,” Horton said. “There wasn’t any physical contact (between him and the officer) other than him being Tased.”
Charges are pending against the suspect.