LAPD releases video of officer tasing NBA player
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released body cam footage on Friday of an officer briefly pressing his knee into the back of an NBA player’s neck before another cop repeatedly fired his Taser at him.
Around 3:13 a.m. on July 28, LAPD officers responded to a call concerning shouting and violent behavior from NBA player Jaxson Hayes, who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. According to newly released police body cam video, Hayes was standing in front of his house when the officers approached him.
As the officers informed Hayes that they were conducting an investigation and needed to check on his girlfriend, Hayes demanded to see a warrant before they could enter his home. Under California law, the officers did not require a warrant to check on the health and safety of Hayes’ girlfriend due to potential exigent circumstances.
When Hayes refused to allow the cops to enter his home, the officers attempted to temporarily detain him. In the video, Hayes appeared to push an officer against a wall before several other officers tackled him to the ground.
One officer appeared to briefly block Hayes’ windpipe with his knee, as Hayes weakly pleaded, “I can’t breathe.”
Another cop immediately ordered his colleague to: “Get your knee up.”
Rising from the ground, Hayes demanded to see their badge numbers when the officer with the Taser shot him in the torso and thigh. After the officers placed Hayes in handcuffs, he was arrested for resisting arrest.
The LAPD’s Force Investigation Division is looking into the case “due to the possibility of force being applied to Hayes’ neck during the use of force,” police previously said in a statement. Los Angeles police have presented the case to prosecutors, who haven’t decided whether to file charges.
On Friday, the LAPD released footage from two police body cameras showing what occurred during the arrest.
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