A man, who would later be proven innocent, had officers pile on top of him, hold a gun to his head, beat him into the earth, taser him, and threaten to kill him. All of it was captured on video. The chief of police even called the incident “indefensible” at the time. Now, however, the taxpayers are going to be held liable—not the police.
The unarmed suspect’s only ‘crime’ was running away from police. In response to a man running, four officers were caught on camera punching, elbowing, and threatening to shoot the unarmed man, James Yarborough, in the head.
After the original video broke, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Kerr Putney defended most of then-Charlotte Mecklenburg police Officer Jon Dunham’s actions, as well as the actions of the other officers. However, in regard to the gun to the head, Putney said, “I’m not going to defend the indefensible.”