Fairfax County police in Northern Virginia arrested one of its own officers, Tyler Timberlake, for assault and battery after he tasered a citizen who was disoriented.
The incident was recorded on other officers’ body cameras. Mr. Timberlake, who is white, faces three counts of assault and battery for inappropriately using his stun gun on a man, who is black.
The victim was walking in circles in the street, appearing to be suffering from a sort of mental health episode or possible intoxication. Other officers had called an ambulance for him and were trying to guide him to the ambulance when Mr. Timberlake deployed his stun gun.
In addition to facing a sentence of up to 36 months, Mr. Timberlake has also lost his job as an officer.
Fairfax County Police calling a late press conference tonight to announce the arrest of one of their officers, Tyler Timberlake, for assault and battery of a citizen— after the officer fired his taser on duty. They’re showing us video from an officer’s body camera.@ABC7News pic.twitter.com/0Z18piMGy7
— Carl Willis (@CarlWillisTV) June 7, 2020
Edwin C. Roessler Jr., the Fairfax County police chief, told reporters at a press conference late Saturday night that the victim “is alive and resting at home with his family.”
The officer’s firing and arrest come as the country has a reckoning over police brutality against black men and women. Protests locally and across the U.S. have been largely guided by the Black Lives Matter movement, which demands that governments “defund the police.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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