“The Deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker is being terminated from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office by order of Sheriff Victor Hill for excessive use of force. This is the administrative action,” Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill announced in a Sunday news release, adding that a criminal probe has been initiated and “turned over to the Clay County District Attorney’s Office.”
Walker, a 26-year-old man, was seen in multiple videos recorded at the scene, including in footage reposted by Ben Crump, the attorney whose office is representing the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jacob Blake and Ahmaud Arbery.
Be advised, the footage below contains scenes some audiences may find offensive.
Clayton GA deputies pulled over a Lyft driver, but then beat the Black PASSENGER. Officers pressed his face on the PAVEMENT & punched him repeatedly because he didn't have his ID. Unbelievable... ANOTHER Black man saying “I can’t breathe” while being ASPHYXIATED by police!! pic.twitter.com/WGCs5wEqzx
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 12, 2020
The officer filmed repeatedly striking Walker is overheard in recordings repeatedly claiming that he was bitten by the 26-year-old. His allegations are denied in real time by the man recording.
An image of Walker’s face wounds has since made rounds on social media.
Disturbing new picture released of Roderick Walker.@wsbtv pic.twitter.com/PDVyty8vdD
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) September 13, 2020
“Mr. Walker has received medical treatment to include x-rays (no fractures detected) of his head and is being monitored at the jail hospital by a doctor,” the sheriff’s office claimed in the news release.
Crump and initial reports on the viral video claimed that Walker was a passenger in a Lyft rideshare that was pulled over by police before he was beaten. However, a company statement obtained by the Washington Examiner said that the incident did not occur during a Lyft ride.
In the video Crump shared, a woman tells an officer that she and Walker were receiving a ride from a man, who is seen outside of his vehicle in the second clip above.
Hill’s Sunday release noted that a signature bond courtesy was ordered for Walker, but he has yet to be released due to other legal matters.
“Mr. Walker has a felony probation warrant out of Fulton County for Cruelty to Children, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and a Failure to Appear warrant out of Hapeville which resulted in Magistrate Court denying him a bond,” the sheriff’s office detailed.
“Mr. Walker’s legal counsel will have to resolve these issues to secure his release.”
