Arkansas cop sued for unnecessary use of Taser on unarmed black man
- 8 years ago
BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS — After getting tased by a cop for walking away, an Arkansas man is fighting back by taking him to court.
Bodycam footage released by the Blytheville Police Department shows that the July 4 incident started with officer Stephen Sigman responding to a non-violent domestic dispute.
The video shows him walking up to a group of people in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Chardrick Mitchell, 24, is sitting calmly atop his car, refusing to let his ex-girlfriend into his apartment to get her clothes.
Sigman asks him for his name, threatening to file theft and obstruction charges.
Mitchell doesn’t identify himself, but after a while, he gets off his car and starts casually walking away from the officer, toward the apartment.
Seeing this, the officer tells him to turn around, fires his Taser, and then tells Mitchell he’s under arrest.
Mitchell drops to the ground and is soon cuffed. He cries that he was going to open the door, but Sigman denies this and claims Mitchell was going to flee.
Mitchell is currently facing three charges: obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct, and refusal to submit to an arrest, and is expected to appear in court on August 2. He has since filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Blytheville, the police chief, and Officer Sigman, alleging excessive use of force.
Bodycam footage released by the Blytheville Police Department shows that the July 4 incident started with officer Stephen Sigman responding to a non-violent domestic dispute.
The video shows him walking up to a group of people in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Chardrick Mitchell, 24, is sitting calmly atop his car, refusing to let his ex-girlfriend into his apartment to get her clothes.
Sigman asks him for his name, threatening to file theft and obstruction charges.
Mitchell doesn’t identify himself, but after a while, he gets off his car and starts casually walking away from the officer, toward the apartment.
Seeing this, the officer tells him to turn around, fires his Taser, and then tells Mitchell he’s under arrest.
Mitchell drops to the ground and is soon cuffed. He cries that he was going to open the door, but Sigman denies this and claims Mitchell was going to flee.
Mitchell is currently facing three charges: obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct, and refusal to submit to an arrest, and is expected to appear in court on August 2. He has since filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Blytheville, the police chief, and Officer Sigman, alleging excessive use of force.