Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill announced the firing of at least one police officer involved in brutalizing and allegedly assaulting Roderick Walker, a rideshare passenger traveling with his children on Friday.
Clayton County deputies pulled over the rideshare vehicle he and his children were traveling in for a reportedly broken tail light. When the deputies told Walker to show them his identification and he questioned them as to why since he wasn’t the driver, the deputies allegedly through him to the ground, pinning him on the street and punching him in the process.
According to eyewitnesses on the scene, Walker apparently passed out twice while the officers were holding him down and beating him, and his children screamed from the car. The victim, Walker, was subsequently arrested and charged with battery and obstruction.
A graphic video of the event shows Walker being bodily restrained and beaten by the cops as his legs jerk from spasms and Walker along with bystanders screaming that he can’t breathe. His children witnessed the assault on their father and have been traumatized by the incident. The rideshare driver can also be seen in the video pleading for officers not to kill Walker and to stop the assault, confirming that Walker said he couldn’t breathe.
Shean Williams, a lawyer for Walker’s family said that his request for bond for Walker was denied by the court due to him having outstanding felony warrants.
Sheriff Victor Hill announced on Saturday that his office had opened up an internal affairs investigation into the actions of the deputy shown punching Walker. That investigation led to the deputy’s firing on Sunday for excessive use of force. The deputy’s name has not been disclosed to the public.
A criminal investigation of the police altercation has been turned over to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office, Hill said.
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