into this announcement and learn more we will have live at these tonight the 10 o’clock
news.
>> 3 Saint Johns
County deputies accused of
police brutality are on
administrative leave after the
department received a
disturbing video showing a man
being tased and beaten
during a traffic stop by a
state trooper and a warning for
our viewers, the video the
incident is graphic.
>> Video recorded by a witness and given to the family of Christopher Butler, you can see
and hear Butler being tased
punched by deputies and beaten
with the. I’m in case
even more. Police say probably
would not cooperate during a
traffic stop and fought back.
His mother though calls it
police brutality in its
worst form.
>> They beat him like he was
nothing.
♪
nothing. ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ When he wasn’t a human being.
News 4 Jax reporter Jim Piggott
is joining us now from the
Saint Johns County Sheriff’s
office free talk with
investigators and he’s also
spoken with
Highway Patrol.
>> And Butler’s mother so Jim,
what is the sheriff’s office
say.
♪
>> They say they can’t talk very much about this. Those officers were put
on paid administrative leave 3
Saint Johns County deputies.
Then they sheriff’s office says
that would have happened had
that the witness come forward
or the fame. The victim’s
family come forward with that
video that you just saw
now the family is saying you
know this is definitely a
problem and it’s the sheriff’s
office needs to
♪
be investigated.
This is video from an FHP dash
cam showing a traffic stop on
December 29th. The reason the
troopers pulling Christopher
Butler over it’s because he was
driving 15 miles per hour
along i-ninety-five. Now watch
this video from a witness who
captured the stop on his cell
phone on County Road to 10 just
off 95. Saint Johns County
deputies had already arrived to
help the FHP trooper tried to
get Christopher Butler out of
the car.
>> All right.
♪
>> You can hear Butler scream and moan and then the Taser issue several more times later
an officer comes at him with a
baton in the police report they
say he was being uncooperative
and not responding.
They believe he was on drugs
because it appeared to them
that the Taser had no effect.
Butler’s mother said that
wasn’t the case he was on
medication for a cold and
didn’t take any
illegal drugs. Butler was out
of prison on probation from a
robbery and aggravated battery
conviction.
>> Our video also shares that
after they threw him on the
grounds they started kicking
him in his face repeatedly got
only got.
>> Only guy.
>> Here’s what the police
report says went down
the FHP trooper deployed his
Taser in Butler went to the
ground. It says Butler than
started to take off his pants a
Saint Johns County deputy says
he hit Butler several times to
the side of the face but he was
not fazed the FHP officer continue to use his Taser and the deputy say Butler continued
to fight them. One officer says
Butler bit him
eventually their report says
they were able to roll him over
and handcuffed him
and he was taken into custody
after more officers arrived.
>> A few parts or video.
You can see that he’s already
in handcuffs and you can see
the other officer push his hand
out and say stop quit. It’s
good. I got him but you’re
still beating him and he’s in
cuffs.
>> Saint Johns County wasn’t
aware of this video Butler’s
mother came forward filing a
complaint last week.
>> Once we received the video
we immediately placed 3
individuals on
administrative suspension.
And of course they have no law
enforcement powers at this
point time pending the outcome
of that that case I do not want
that cop on the street.
You know I reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol as well and they said that they are
investigating they hadn’t seen
that video
until today after it was
released, but they say that
trooper involved in this has
not been disciplined