The city of Asheville, North Carolina, has released videos from nine different body cameras showing the beating and abuse of a man suspected by police to have been jaywalking. The footage pertains to the 2017 arrest of Johnnie Jermaine Rush.
One video shows officer Christopher Hickman wrap his arms around Rush’s neck from behind as the police attempt to subdue him. He was removed from patrol duty a day after the incident, and he resigned from the department in January of this year (he was to be terminated the same day).
Hickman was taken into custody on March 8 and charged with assault and strangulation, assault inflicting serious injury and communicating threats, according to the city of Asheville. (You can see the video here; it might be disturbing for some viewers.)
Another video was released Monday showing a conversation between Rush and Hickman outside a hospital after the incident.
The city of Asheville, via interim City Manager Cathy Ball and Police Chief Tammy hooper, issued an open letter in conjunction with the video: “This incident has created a loss of trust within the community, particularly among people of color. The City of Asheville understands that there is substantial work to do to restore the public’s trust.”
