Six Atlanta police officers are facing charges following their disturbing, excessive and forceful arrests to two Atlanta University Center students on Saturday night.
The incident happened shortly after the newly imposed 9 p.m. curfew went into effect.
CBS 46 cameras were rolling when 22-year-old Morehouse graduate Messiah Young and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Spellman college student Teniyah Pilgrim were accosted by police.
Teniyah was tased and yanked from the vehicle and slammed to the ground and cuffed. Officers busted out the driver’s side window and began excessively tasing Messiah. It looked as if they were going to electrocute him to death.
Messiah was then yanked from the car to the ground and cuffed. He says police punched him about 10 times while he was on the ground.
Young was initially charged with fleeing the scene and driving with an expired license, but the Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms later ordered those charges to be dropped.
Watch the press conference held by Messiah Young and Teniyah Pilgrim:
Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. announced the charges against the six officers involved:
- Lonnie Hood – 2 counts of aggravated assault for using his Taser and one count of simple battery
- Willie Sauls – one count of aggravated assault for pointing his Taser and one count of criminal damage to property for damaging the car
- Ivory Streeter – one count of aggravated assault for the user of a Taser and one count of pointing or aiming a gun
- Mark Gardner – aggravated assault for using his Taser
- Armond Jones – one count of aggravated battery and one count of pointing or aiming a gun
- Roland Claud – one count of criminal damage to property for damaging the car
Streeter and Gardner were fired on Sunday.
Related: 2 Atlanta Police Officers FIRED After Tasing ACU Students, Pulling Them From Car (Video)
The officers have until Friday, June 5 to turn themselves in.
Watch the news report below.
Source: CBS 46
